Paid family and medical leave

Note: This page is a reproduction of the Hillary for America policy proposal on paid family and medical leave. 

The United States is the only developed nation in the world with no guaranteed paid leave of any kind. Supporting families isn’t a luxury—it’s an economic necessity. It’s past time for our policies to catch up to the way families live and work today.

As president, Hillary will:

• Guarantee up to 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave to care for a new child or a seriously ill family member, and up to 12 weeks of medical leave to recover from a serious illness or injury of their own.
• Ensure hardworking Americans get at least two-thirds of their current wages, up to a ceiling, while on leave.
• Impose no additional costs on businesses, including small businesses.
• Fund paid leave by making the wealthy pay their fair share—not by increasing taxes on working families. Hillary will pay for her paid leave plan with tax reforms that will ensure the wealthiest Americans pay their fair share.

Hillary has a lifelong record of fighting for families:

• After graduating from Yale Law School, she went to work at the Children’s Defense Fund, where she helped expand access to education for children with disabilities.
• As first lady of Arkansas, she helped start Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families.
• As first lady of the United States, she helped win the fight for Family Medical Leave Act. When Bill Clinton became president, Hillary was on the front lines working to ensure the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) was the first bill he signed into law.
• As U.S. senator from New York, she fought for paid leave. Hillary helped expand FMLA to wounded soldiers and their families. And in her campaign for president in 2007, she proposed a national paid leave program and called for guaranteeing paid parental leave for all federal employees.