Hoyer Statement on Paid Parental Leave Provision in the NDAA Conference Report
WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) released the following statement today on the paid parental leave provision included in the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act conference report:
“I am glad that the NDAA conferees have agreed to include twelve weeks of paid parental leave for all federal employees starting in October of next year. Earlier, when it appeared that conferees were going to extend this benefit to Department of Defense employees only, I sent a letter urging that all federal employees be covered by it. While I believe federal employees should be extended full paid family and medical leave benefits, paid parental leave represents a significant first step toward that goal. I will continue to fight for paid family and medical leave for both federal employees and all private sector employees in our country.
“House Democrats will continue to make paid family and medical leave a priority, which had been demonstrated to yield benefits not only to worker well-being but also to workforce productivity. Extending paid parental leave to federal civilian employees will help encourage its wider adoption in the private sector. I thank the conferees for agreeing to include this provision in the conference report, and I urge the House to vote in favor of extending this much-deserved benefit to the federal employees who serve our nation with distinction.”