This past week, advocates, working families, and Congressional champions stood together to introduce the Family and Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act! With a total of 190 House cosponsors, 38 Senate cosponsors, and more than 200 endorsing organizations, it was a great reminder of the power of partnership and the urgent need to pass pro-family policies, such as paid family and medical leave.

Paid leave is a lifeline that many working families need: Parents who are welcoming a new child into their homes, workers dealing with a serious health condition, including pregnancy and childbirth recovery, those caring for a loved one with a serious health condition, or people addressing the effects of sexual assault, stalking, or domestic violence, as well as families dealing with the military deployment of a spouse, child or parent.

Over 106 million people do not have paid family leave through their jobs, and close to 60 percent of workers lack access to paid personal medical leave through their employer. [1] The United States is one of the wealthiest developed countries in the world, and yet it still lacks a national paid leave program. When serious personal or family health needs arise, many working people face impossible choices between their jobs and caring for their families.

Working families are already struggling in this economy; they should not have to choose between financial well-being and the welfare of their loved ones. One in four moms return to work within two weeks of giving birth because they lack access to paid family leave, [2] too many parents can’t hold their child’s hand during chemotherapy, and too many adult children can’t be there for their aging parents. Paid leave will meet the needs of families and ensure working people can take the time they need to care for themselves and care for others in times of need.

Thirty-two years ago, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) was signed into law, but it was only meant to be the first step. While it provides up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave, it covers only 56 percent of the workforce, [3] leaving many people without coverage. That means working families continually face challenges in taking care of themselves and their loved ones. And this disproportionately affects low-wage workers and people of color; almost 54 percent of Asian and Pacific Islander workers, 64 percent of Native American workers, 66 percent of Black workers, and 69 percent of Latinx workers are either not eligible for or cannot afford to take unpaid FMLA leave. [4] Alongside other paid leave advocates and champions in Congress, we have kept up the drumbeat and demand for a national paid leave program. And we won’t stop until paid family and medical leave is passed!

The Family and Medical Insurance Leave Act would provide workers — including those who are self-employed and/or work part-time — with much-needed income to address their own serious health issue, including pregnancy or childbirth; to deal with the serious health issue of a family member, including chosen family; to care for a new child; to address the effects of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking; and for certain military caregiving and leave purposes.

There is an opportunity and a need to pass paid family and medical leave right now. Workers lose $22.5 billion annually in wages due to not having paid leave. [5] In this current economy, working families are struggling to make ends meet, and people are living paycheck to paycheck. Passing the FAMILY Act, which covers all workers, would be a lifeboat to support working families.

*Please take a moment to take action – and then also to pass along this action link to other people in your life (and to post the action link on your social media). https://action.momsrising.org/sign/FAMILYACT2025/

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