Congress is getting close to passing a paid family leave that would be federal and this is exciting news for families out there. When it comes to maternity and family leave, the US has long been criticized for being “behind the times.” There is no federally approved family leave that is paid in the country, and this is quite different when compared to a lot of other first-world nations across the world. Its neighbor to the north, Canada, has up to 18 months of maternity leave with a percentage of your income being paid to you. This goes a long way to help new mothers bond and care for their infants.

According to ABC News and Good Morning America, the US may be close to a federal family leave policy. Congress is close to passing both paid famiy leave as well as medical leave for everyone across the US, and this could mean big things for a lot of families out there.

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The human infrastructure package under the current administration is $3.5 trillion and it would give workers up to 12 weeks of paid family leave. While some would say that this is not enough time, it is a step in the right direction.

The only roadblock is that even though paid family leave is included in the legislation, it could be removed before the bill is passed, and this means that advocates are starting to speak out to put some pressure on the government to make the right decision. Even This Is Us actress, Mandy Moore, is speaking out on how important this is for American families and new working mothers. She posted a plea on her Instagram page asking everyone to get involved and act fast.

This is also an incredibly important move as families across the country are still trying to recover from the pandemic and what that has meant to financial insecurity and childcare. It is estimated that throughout the pandemic 3.5 million moms of school-aged children had to leave work to care for their families. If this is passed, mothers would be eligible to take 12 weeks of paid leave when they welcome a child. They would also be eligible for 12 weeks of medical leave if they had to care for a sick child or family member. The only restriction that would be on this leave is that there will be a certain among of hours worked to qualify, something that is similar in countries who already have some sort of family/maternity leave.

Sources: ABC News, Good Morning America