Big Picture: The Policy Landscape Around Paid Leave

To keep our members abreast of the employment regulatory landscape, we flag this infographic by Politico DataPoint. We share a summary of key points in the infographic below.

• The US is the last wealthy nation without a national requirement that companies provide paid leave to their workers for medical reasons and to deal with other personal issues.
• The issue was thrust into relief when COVID-19 hit: Having a national paid leave program could have saved the US as much as $1 trillion, a former adviser for then-President Donald Trump said.
• In the absence of a federal regulation, many state and local governments have issued their own rules.
• President Joe Biden, who campaigned on extending paid leave to all workers, has proposed a permanent plan to provide 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave as part of his infrastructure plan.
• Opponents of requiring businesses to offer mandatory paid leave say employers require more flexibility in providing the benefit, which could be provided by tax credits.

The infographic also shares insights on what to expect next at the federal level on this issue and identifies key congressional players.