On April 16, Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, introduced The Comprehensive Paid Leave for Federal Employees Act to give federal workers 12 weeks of paid leave to care for an ill family member, their own medical condition, or for circumstances that arise when the employee or a family member is detailed for covered duty in the armed forces.

Currently, federal workers may take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for these reasons under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The bill would give federal workers paid leave for these reasons.

The bill was introduced as a companion to the House bill introduced in January by House Oversight and Reform Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney. 

AFGE thanks Sen. Schatz for taking a step to make this bill a reality for federal employees across the country so that they would not need to exhaust their sick and annual leave before using this benefit.

“Providing federal employees with 12 weeks of paid leave to address all circumstances currently covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act would bring the federal government up to the standards set by other large, unionized employers and vastly improve the government’s ability to retain and attract workers,” said AFGE Public Policy Director Jacque Simon.

“On behalf of the 700,000 government employees AFGE represents, we thank Senator Brian Schatz for introducing this legislation as a companion to the House bill introduced in January by House Oversight and Reform Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney. We look forward to working with them and the other congressional cosponsors to pass this important legislation into law and ensure no federal worker ever has to choose between a paycheck and caring for their family.”