Next week, Washington, D.C.’s municipal government will vote on new legislation that, if enacted, would guarantee people working in the District up to 11 weeks of paid leave to care for a new baby or child. But this is just the latest in a string of state and local governments taking action to address the needs of working parents and their families.[...]
The growing number of states and cities stepping up to support working parents is encouraging. Providing paid leave, stable work schedules, jobs that pay family-supporting wages, and affordable high-quality child care and early education would go a long way toward supporting working parents. Guaranteeing the reproductive rights necessary to make decisions about whether and when to become a parent would further strengthen families’ economic stability.
Yet to address the needs of working parents nationwide, the growing demand for these policies must be heard, not only in city halls and state capitals, but in the halls of Congress and the White House as well.
