SEATTLE — As Congress debates whether to roll out paid family and medical leave to the entire nation, Washington is one of seven states with programs already in place.
Washington provides 12 to 18 weeks of benefits for parents welcoming a child, people who need medical treatment for a serious health condition, those caring for an ill family member, and people dealing with a family member's military deployment.
Congress is considering establishing a national paid leave program, but there are reports that the initiative is stalled and may not happen right now.
“We're really lucky in Washington that we do have paid family medical leave, but I think our country should and can do better, and there's a lot that needs to happen around normalizing and valuing caregiving,” said Dana Guy, executive director of the Program for Early Parent Support, or PEPS.
“Parents in our groups are talking all the time about how much they need time off from work so that they can bond with their babies, and I think we know from science how important those really early days are for parents to connect and be there for their kids,” she said.
Washington's program takes a small amount from workers' paychecks to fund paid leave.
“Most people, when I tell them that, they don't even know it's being taken out of their paycheck because it's a pretty small amount,” said Marilyn Watkins, policy director for the Economic Opportunity Institute.
If there were federal paid leave, the US government would provide money to states like Washington to help pay for their programs, Watkins said.
“I am very hopeful that everyone in the country is going to be able to benefit from a program like this,” she said.