This statement can be attributed to Olivia Golden, executive director of the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP).

Washington, DC, February 12, 2019—Today,  Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Senator Kirstin Gillibrand (D-NY) introduced the Family and Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act, which would establish a federal program providing almost every worker in the country up to 12 weeks of paid leave to bond with a new child, care for a seriously ill family member, or treat their own serious illness. Ensuring this critical support for America’s working families is long overdue.

The FAMILY Act is a critical work support for all and particularly game-changing for low-income workers and workers of color. The vast majority of low-wage workers—93 percent—have no access to paid family leave. When a baby is born or illness strikes, hard-working families are forced to make impossible choices between their economic security and the needs of their loved ones. For workers without paid leave, taking time off can lead to lost wages or even lost jobs, which is harmful to any family’s economic security and devastating to those earning low wages. 

The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) applauds the co-sponsors of the FAMILY Act. We urge full committee consideration of this bill that will ensure low-wage families have time to heal and care without compromising their economic security.

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The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) is a national, nonpartisan, anti-poverty organization advancing policy solutions that work for low-income people. As we celebrate our 50th anniversary, we continue to bring trusted expertise, a deeply knowledgeable staff, and a commitment to practical yet visionary approaches to opportunity for all. CLASP lifts up the voices of poor and low-income children, families, and individuals, equips advocates with strategies that work, and helps public officials put good ideas into practice. The organization’s solutions directly address the barriers that individuals and families face because of race, ethnicity, and immigration status, in addition to low income. For more information, visit clasp2022.tealmedia.dev and follow us on Twitter @CLASP_DC