Lawmakers unveil draft paid family leave bills

A bipartisan working group on Tuesday released two drafts aimed at providing more families with more paid family leave.

“The American people have waited too long for us to solve a major issue that vexes nearly every family in the nation, and in dropping our discussion bills today, we’re putting Congress on notice that we expect their attention and action," Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.), co-chair of the House Paid Family Leave Working Group, said in a press release.

The announcement follows a policy framework released by the House Paid Family Leave Working Group in January. Earlier this year, the group faced an uphill battle with the House GOP majority regarding funding. While Republicans tend to propose tax-based benefits, Democrats tend to lean toward direct government assistance.

The press release issued Tuesday said that the drafts do two things: They focus on incentives for states to create their own paid family leave programs, and they create a body and process to allow states to make benefits and practices that support workers and businesses.

The first bill would create a grant program run by the Labor Department that would allow states to establish their own public-private model for paid family leave programs, the release said. Grant eligibility would depend on a state's ability to meet several criteria, like having a partnership with a private entity that would help with administrative work and provide, at the very least, paid leave benefits for the birth or adoption of a child.

The second bill focuses on coordinating paid leave benefits across states to increase accessibility for people and states, the release said. In this legislation, the Labor Department would provide funding to an intermediary that would work on coordinating states and meetings. An electronic system would also be developed to help with communication between state paid leave programs.

"These two discussion drafts are a significant step forward and will promote both American families, and businesses across the country," Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-Okla.), who co-chairs the working group alongside Houlahan, said in the release.