Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and John Boozman (R-AR) introduced a Senate version of Representatives Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA-06) and Stephanie Bice (R-OK-05)'s historic bipartisan legislation to expand Americans’ access to paid family and medical leave. The More Paid Leave for More Americans Act would establish a competitive grant program for states that provide a minimum of six weeks of parental, caregiving, or medical leave, and it would create an interstate agreement to coordinate and harmonize paid leave benefits across participating states.


“Four years ago, when I founded the House Bipartisan Paid Leave Working Group with Rep. Bice, I did so with a simple goal: to find durable, bipartisan policy solutions that help American workers, businesses, and families gain access to paid family and medical leave,” said Rep. Houlahan. “Today, I am proud that our bill, the More Paid Leave for More Americans Act, now has a Senate companion, and I applaud Senators Gillibrand and Boozman for their leadership and partnership in advancing this effort. For more than three decades, roughly three in four American workers have lacked access to paid leave. We have a real opportunity to help states build programs that change that reality. Today, we've charted a clear bipartisan, bicameral path forward, and I urge House and Senate leadership to seize this opportunity and finally deliver paid leave for more American families.”
 

“No American should have to choose between earning a paycheck and caring for a new baby, a sick parent, or their own health,” said Sen. Gillibrand. “The More Paid Leave for More Americans Act is a commonsense, bipartisan step toward solving a challenge facing millions of hardworking families. By empowering states to create robust paid parental, caregiving, and medical leave programs, this bill would help protect Americans’ financial security and allow them the flexibility to deal with life’s emergencies without sacrificing their income. I will fight to pass this bill through Congress and will continue working until every American has guaranteed access to paid family and medical leave.”
 

“As a former business owner, father of three daughters and Member of Congress, I have learned just how much there is to gain from expanding paid leave resources for working families,” said Sen. Boozman. “Our bipartisan, bicameral approach offers a flexible way for more states and employers to help fewer Americans face the dilemma between career progression and financial security or meeting theirs or a loved one’s needs. I am optimistic this model will spur wider adoption across the country and appreciated collaborating with my colleagues alongside passionate advocates to achieve meaningful progress that will support families and our economy.”



“After years of hard work and dedication, I am thrilled that my colleagues in the Senate have introduced companion legislation to my bipartisan bill, the More Paid Leave for More Americans Act,” said Rep. Bice. “As Co-Chair of the Bipartisan House Paid Family Leave Working Group alongside Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, I have been proud to work across the aisle to advance practical solutions that support both families and businesses. As a mother myself, I understand the challenges parents face and the importance of ensuring they do not have to choose between caring for a newborn and earning a paycheck. We must continue this momentum and advance policies that address the real needs of America’s families.”
 

Currently, nearly three-quarters of American workers do not have access to paid family leave. This means that millions of Americans are forced to make impossible choices between earning a living and caring for themselves or their loved ones in times of need, such as when they have a new baby, contract a serious illness, or have to care for an aging parent. A large body of research has shown that paid leave improves workers’ mental health, boosts employee retention and productivity, and spurs economic growth. 

 

The More Paid Leave for More Americans Act encourages states to work together with private companies to adopt or expand scalable, sustainable access to paid leave benefits. It also creates an Interstate Paid Leave Action Network (I-PLAN) to build coordination and harmonization across the growing number of paid leave states.

 

The More Paid Leave for More Americans Act is endorsed by Engage: Promoting Women’s Economic Security, AARP, Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) Action, Third Way, Chamber of Mothers, the Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality, and Patriot Voices.


 

The full text of the Senate bill can be found here. The full text of the original House bill can be found here.

A section-by-section summary of the Senate bill can be found here.


A one-pager on the Senate bill can be found here.

 --end--