Call Your Senators Today to Support the State Paid Leave Fund

From our friends at MomsRising.

A letter circulating in the halls of the Senate needs only a handful of Senators to sign on in order to have a large impact.

Please call your Senators and ask them to sign on to a "member-to-member" letter, which is a letter to Senators from Senators. The letter asks the Senate Appropriations Committee to support full funding of a State Paid Leave Fund. This fund, proposed by President Obama, would provide $50 million in competitive grants to help states launch paid leave programs.

While this blog focuses on the need for earned sick time, paid family leave is a different but relevant issue. Earned sick time (also known as paid sick time or paid sick days) refers to a limited number of days that workers can earn in order to use to care for themselves or their families. Paid family leave refers to a longer period of time (measured in weeks or months) in which workers can care for themselves or their families due to serious illness, childbirth, or adoption.

Paid family leave helps stop family poverty before it starts by offering a bridge of economic security when working people must take time off after a new child arrives or to care for their loved ones. With family leave insurance in place, struggling families will have the peace of mind they deserve via the insurance fund when they take the essential time to adjust to a new child or provide care for a seriously ill family member.

Sample script for you to use if you call:
Hi, I'm_________, and I live in ____________. I'm calling to ask Senator _________ to please sign on to a member to member letter currently being circulated by Senator Dodd. This letter asks the Senate Appropriations Committee to support full funding of the State Paid Leave Fund proposed in the President’s budget. Paid family leave is a critical issue to me and my family. Please contact Senator Dodd's office to sign this important letter today. Thank you.

After you call, click here to report about how it went.