PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 12, 2019
Salt Lake City, UT – Earlier today, news broke that Senator Mike Lee is sponsoring the CRADLE Act, which would allow new parents to dip into their social security funds to take family leave following the birth or adoption of a child.
“New parents should not have to delay retirement to have kids,” said Lauren Simpson, policy director of Alliance for a Better Utah. “We appreciate that Senator Lee acknowledges our current family leave law is substandard, but this bill acknowledges the issue without giving a realistic solution.”
Currently, federal parental leave under the FMLA requires companies of 50 or more employees to give women 12 weeks of unpaid leave annually. The United States is one of the only developed nations in the world to not to require paid maternity leave.
“The United States has fallen behind other developed countries on paid parental leave, which is bad for women, bad for families, and bad for kids. Making people choose between caring for a new child or retiring on time is an unfair choice for families already under extreme stress. The CRADLE Act was born of good intentions, but misses the mark–we hope Lee is open to working with his colleagues in the Senate to solidify a helpful family leave policy that doesn’t leave new parents hanging at their retirement.”
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Alliance for a Better Utah is a good government advocacy and watchdog organization based in Salt Lake City. The organization works to improve the lives of all Utahns by ensuring balance, transparency, and accountability in Utah politics, policy, and government. More information at www.betterutah.org.
