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With Eye on Federal Employee Paid Leave, NARFE Urges Congress to Pass FY2020 National Defense Authorization Act

  
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (July 10, 2019) – With passage of the House rules package today, the Federal Employee Paid Leave Act (FEPLA) has been incorporated into H.R. 2500, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20). In support of providing federal employees with 12 weeks of paid leave following the birth or adoption of a child, NARFE National President Ken Thomas issued the following statement:

“If Congress takes seriously the recruitment and retention challenges facing the federal government, such as a well-documented skills gap and the need to fill mission-critical positions, then implementing a paid family leave policy that is a human resources best practice is a no-brainer. With the federal workforce aging, recruitment of young workers is more important than ever, and offering paid family leave is a good step towards meeting these challenges,” said Thomas.

According to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), only eight percent of the federal workforce is under 30, compared to 24 percent of the total labor force. More than 31 percent of the federal workforce is eligible to retire within the next five years, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

“We applaud the House for recognizing the importance of this measure by attaching it to a critical defense spending bill, and we urge all members of Congress to pass the FY20 NDAA,” continued Thomas.

The New York Times reported that as of 2018, the 20 largest private-sector employers in the United States offered some form of paid parental leave to at least some of their employees. Uniformed military personnel also receive time off following the birth of a child. Yet, the federal government offers nothing comparable to its employees.

In addition to this statement, Thomas sent a letter to representatives earlier this week urging them to support the incorporation of FEPLA into the FY20 NDAA.

Background
The Senate passed its defense authorization bill, which did not include a paid leave provision, on June 27, 2019.

FEPLA would provide 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption or foster placement of a new child; allow for up to 12 weeks of paid family leave to care for an immediate family member with a serious medical condition; provide employees with 12 weeks of leave if they are unable to work due to a serious medical condition; and provide up to 12 weeks of leave for other purposes that qualify for unpaid leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), including for certain military caregiving and leave purposes.

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The National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE), one of America’s oldest and largest associations, was founded in 1921 with the mission of protecting the earned rights and benefits of America’s active and retired federal workers. The largest federal employee/retiree organization, NARFE represents the interests of 5 million current and future federal annuitants, spouses and survivors.

CONTACT:
Jill Talley
NARFE Director of Public Relations
jtalley@narfe.org
(703)838-7760