Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

No simple solution for paid leave issue

No simple solution for paid leave issue
Getty Images

Adkins is graduate student journalist for Medill on the Hill, a program of Northwestern University in which students serve as mobile journalists reporting on events in and around Washington, D.C.

On Wednesday, October 25th the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on the need for guaranteed paid leave to better support American workers and families.


At the hearing, experts told a Senate committee that a federal mandate to provide paid leave could do more harm than good to employers and employees, alike.

“There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all policy that works for every business, or every industry,” said Elizabeth Milito, Senior Executive Counsel with the National Federation of Independent Business. Milito went on to say that the National Federation of Independent Business opposed leave requirements due to the cost and rigidity of a federal mandate.

“Flexibility is so important because parental leave for the birth of a new child is one thing that is relatively predictable,” she said. “But most leaves are not predictable, and you need access to those benefits quickly.”

Rachel Greszler, research fellow in economics at the conservative Heritage Foundation said her sister could not meet the demands of her paid leave application process when caring for her daughter undergoing cancer treatment. Personal discussion with her employer is how her family kept their jobs in an unpredictable time. Greszler also testified that if a federal regulation over paid leave would place a similar burden on the employee, it would prevent special circumstances like this.

Paid leave accessibility has increased in recent years with bipartisan support, but only for certain types of leave. The 2023 National Bureau of Labor Statistics report indicated paid sick leave was accessible to 86% of union workers and 77% of non-union workers, but family leave was only accessible to 23% of union workers and 27% non-union workers.

“Imposing a one-size-fits-all paid leave program could actually limit employers’ ability to offer paid leave policies that meet the unique needs of their workforce, or significantly diminish existing employee-provided paid leave altogether,” said Sen. Mike Crapo.

As of this year, 13 states have mandated paid family and medical leave, plus the District of Columbia. In the state of Oregon, there is a policy that allows for 16 total weeks of leave where 12 of those weeks can be paid, for reasons such as family leave for a newborn child, medical leave, funeral leave, sick leave or safe leave for domestic abuse. This is an extension of the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, which only requires 12 weeks of unpaid leave.

For farmer and small business owner, Ben Verhoeven, Oregon’s policy is helping him save money and increase retention. Oregon’s program is funded with taxes collected per paycheck, from both employers and employees. “Paid family leave costs me less per year than truck repairs, and has a much greater effect on the lives of the people I work with,” said Verhoeven.

While this works for his business, those that want to pursue their own paid leave program must file a $250 application fee and await approval to opt-out. Other state policies, such as New Hampshire’s, require employers to opt-in, instead.

“The issue of flexibility that’s indisputable,” said committee chair Sen. Ron Wyden, D-OR. “We want to recognize that different parts of the country are different.”

Both Wyden and Senator Mike Crapo, R-ID, said for any federal policy to work well, it would have to provide flexibility for different types of businesses and different types of leave.

“Let’s continue this conversation and find a path to the action of actually making things happen on our watch,” said Wyden.

A testimony is delivered about a cancer patient’s lack of support during paid leave requests for treatment, by Rachel Greszler, Senior Research Fellow, Budget And Entitlements, Grover M. Hermann Center For The Federal Budget The Heritage Foundation. (Kelly Adkins/MEDILL NEWS SERVICE)

Read More

Why Doing Immigration the “White Way” Is Wrong

A close up of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement badge.

Getty Images, Tennessee Witney

Why Doing Immigration the “White Way” Is Wrong

The president is granting refugee status to white South Africans. Meanwhile, he is issuing travel bans, unsure about his duty to uphold due process, fighting birthright citizenship, and backing massive human rights breaches against people of color, including deporting citizens and people authorized to be here.

The administration’s escalating immigration enforcement—marked by “fast-track” deportations or disappearances without due process—signal a dangerous leveling-up of aggressive anti-immigration policies and authoritarian tactics. In the face of the immigration chaos that we are now in, we could—and should—turn our efforts toward making immigration policies less racist, more efficient, and more humane because America’s promise is built on freedom and democracy, not terror. As social scientists, we know that in America, thinking people can and should “just get documented” ignores the very real and large barriers embedded in our systems.

Keep ReadingShow less
Insider trading in Washington, DC

U.S. senators and representatives with access to non-public information are permitted to buy and sell individual stocks. It’s not just unethical; it sends the message that the game is rigged.

Getty Images, Greggory DiSalvo

Insider Trading: If CEOs Can’t Do It, Why Can Congress?

Ivan Boesky. Martha Stewart. Jeffrey Skilling.

Each became infamous for using privileged, non-public information to profit unfairly from the stock market. They were prosecuted. They served time. Because insider trading is a crime that threatens public trust and distorts free markets.

Keep ReadingShow less
Supreme Court Changes the Game on Federal Environmental Reviews

A pump jack seen in a southeast New Mexico oilfield.

Getty Images, Daniel A. Leifheit

Supreme Court Changes the Game on Federal Environmental Reviews

Getting federal approval for permits to build bridges, wind farms, highways and other major infrastructure projects has long been a complicated and time-consuming process. Despite growing calls from both parties for Congress and federal agencies to reform that process, there had been few significant revisions – until now.

In one fell swoop, the U.S. Supreme Court has changed a big part of the game.

Keep ReadingShow less