- The Washington Times - Wednesday, January 14, 2015

President Obama will announce several new initiatives Thursday to expand paid family leave, and will sign an order to ensure that all federal employees receive at least six weeks of paid leave when they have a newborn child.

Senior presidential adviser Valerie Jarrett said Mr. Obama will call on Congress to pass the Healthy Families Act, which would allow millions of working Americans to earn up to seven days a year of paid sick time, and urge states and cities to pass similar laws.

“The president will outline a new plan to help states create paid leave programs, and provide new funding through the Department of Labor for feasibility studies that will help other states and municipalities figure out the best way to implement programs of their own,” Ms. Jarrett said in a posting on her LinkedIn account.

She said the president also will propose that Congress offer 6 weeks of paid administrative leave.

About 43 million private-sector workers in the U.S. are without any form of paid sick leave. Only three states — California, New Jersey and Rhode Island — offer paid family and medical leave, Ms. Jarrett said, adding that the U.S. is the only developed country in the world that does not offer paid maternity leave.

“The success and productivity of our workers is inextricably tied to their ability to care for their families and maintain a stable life at home,” she said. “At a time when all parents are working in more than 60 percent of households with children (up from just 40 percent in 1965), and 63 percent of women with children under the age of 5 participate in the labor force (compared with 31 percent in the early 1970s), one fact is resoundingly clear: The fundamental structure of our workplaces has simply not kept pace with the changing American family.”

• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.

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