Independent U.S. Sen. Angus King wants U.S. employers to voluntarily offer paid parental or medical leave for workers while they are meeting necessary family obligations, such as caring for a sick child or after giving birth.
Current federal law requires employers of 50 or more workers to provide 12 weeks of unpaid leave for such circumstances. Speaking today on the Senate floor, King says a measure authored by himself and Nebraska Republican Sen. Deb Fischer would open up tax incentives to employers of any size.
"It says to every employer, not just to those 50 or above or 100 or above or 500 or above, every employer in the country will have available to them this tax credit for offering paid leave to their employees," King says.
King says the U.S. is one of the few countries in the world not to offer paid leave to employees.
