Highlights:
December 2019: Trump Signed The Federal Employee Paid Leave Act (FEPLA) Into Law, Granting Federal Employees Up To 12 Weeks Paid Time Off For The Birth, Adoption, Or Foster Of A New Child. According to Federal News Network, “The Federal Employee Paid Leave Act (FEPLA), which President Donald Trump signed into law in mid-December, grants employees up to 12 weeks of paid time off for the birth, adoption or foster of a new child. Lawmakers, the White House and employee groups have touted the new benefit as an historic achievement for the federal workforce.” [Federal News Network, 1/8/20]
Trump’s Paid Leave Legislation Did Not Include Paid Time Off For Workers With A Serious Illness Or Caring For A Sick Relative. According to CBS News, “Even under the policy passed by Congress for federal workers, there are still gaps in coverage. For instance, federal workers do not get paid leave for their own serious illness or to care for a sick relative” [CBS News, 12/23/19].
As Written, FEPLA Excluded Federal Employees Who Were Not Covered By Title 5 – Including Federal Aviation Administration And Transportation Security Administration Workers – And Left It Unclear As To Whether Workers Covered By Other Statues Could Access The New Paid Leave Benefits. According to Federal News Network, “But as it’s written, FEPLA leaves out federal employees who aren’t covered by Title 5, and the language at times is ambiguous as to whether workers covered by other statutes would also have access to new paid parental leave benefits. Specifically, the paid parental leave law leaves out much of the Federal Aviation Administration, some employees at the Transportation Security Administration, non-judicial employees of the District of Columbia courts, the District of Columbia Public Defender Service, presidential employees and bankruptcy and magistrate judges.” [Federal News Network, 1/8/20]
Eighty Percent Of Private Sector Workers Had No Access To Paid Family Leave. According to CBS News, “The country’s 2.1 million government employees will gain 12 weeks of paid parental leave as part of a defense bill that President Donald Trump signed into law on Friday. But it still leaves about 80% of U.S. workers in the private sector with no access to paid family leave. The U.S. is one of a handful of countries that lacks a federal policy, at least for new mothers, leaving employers to decide whether to offer it.” [CBS News, 12/23/19]
Trump On Family Leave, 2007: “It’s Great For Employees To Know They Can Take Time Off For A Serious Family Crisis And Still Have Their Jobs, But I Can See How This Can Be Abused. Maybe The Law Needs To Have More Checks And Balances So Employers Need To Know Their Businesses Won’t Suffer In The Process.” According to a blog post by Donald Trump published on the Trump Entrepreneur Initiative website, “For more than a decade, the Family and Medical Leave Act has allowed parents to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for the birth of a child, to deal with serious illness, or to care for a relative - all while still keeping their jobs. Supporters of the bill have been trying to expand the law, hoping to make some of that paid time-off. However, it looks like there are some plans to actually scale back family leave. Some business groups say that the law is abused. It’s OK, they say, to take time off for pregnancy or cancer treatment. But when employees start taking off every time they get a headache or catch a cold, then employers are faced with major productivity problems. Personally, I agree. It’s great for employees to know they can take time off for a serious family crisis and still have their jobs, but I can see how this can be abused. Maybe the law needs to have more checks and balances so employers need to know their businesses won’t suffer in the process. You have to remember, if the business goes bad, everybody is out of a job.” [Trump Entrepreneur Initiative via Wayback Machine, 4/22/07]