Tell members of Congress to pass a paid leave for all NOW!
[ [link removed] ]Take Action Now
[ [link removed] ]TAKE ACTION

Dear Friend,

GOOD NEWS!!!! Last week I wrote to you about how important it is to keep
the pressure on Congress to pass a strong reconciliation package that
includes comprehensive paid family and medical leave for all. And you all
sent a strong and powerful message to Congress -- and it worked! The U.S.
House Ways and Means Committee just took a huge step closer to the finish
line of winning paid family and medical leave for all when they voted to
advance paid leave to the House Budget Committee! Next the Budget
Committee must pass it and then the Senate must too, all within the next
three weeks. 

Help us build an even bigger wave of change to get this policy through the
finish line!! 

This week, I need you to take action again! WE are at a critical moment
and every thing we do in the next few weeks will make all the difference. 

[ [link removed] ]→ We need your help urging Congress to pass a fully funded
comprehensive paid family and medical leave program.

When a serious health emergency strikes, you need to be there for your
family and not just your child, spouse, parent or grandparent but your
chosen family too. You know, the folks with whom you have strong bonds,
the friends of your heart who are unrelated but are family because you
depend on each other in the times that matter. Your chosen family.

The structures and demographics of families have changed significantly
over the years, a recent study stated that 35 percent of U.S. children
have lived with a relative other than their parent or sibling at some
point by the age of 18. [1]  In 2017, a national survey found that almost
a third of all respondents took time off from work to care for a chosen
family member. [ [link removed] ]  As we try to combat the Delta variant of COVID,
navigate child pick-ups and drop-offs and head back to the office, having
paid family and medical leave to care for your loved ones in times of a
health crisis is critical. 

[2] → Demand Congress pass a comprehensive paid family and medical leave
policy this year. Moms, and working families need paid family and medical
leave for all.

In order for paid family and medical leave to be effective, it needs to be
equitable so those who need to take leave when a serious illness strikes
or a new child arrives can afford to take leave. And equity also means
enacting policies that better reflect the makeup of today’s families, and
today’s families are diverse and expansive beyond the traditional nuclear
family. 

Our communities, especially the LGBTQ+ community, can be impacted by
limited definitions of family. Due to current and historical legal
barriers, along with painful rejection from families of origin that still
occurs, many in the LGBTQ+ community rely on chosen family, and along with
individuals with disabilities, they were more likely to report caring for
chosen family than were their non-disabled or non-LGBTQ counterparts - 42
percent compared with 30 percent and 31 percent. [ [link removed] ]  Multi-generational
living and intergenerational caregiving is on the rise and policies like
paid family and medical leave, that recognize all families, are beneficial
to our collective well-being. 

[3]→ Sign on and show our members of Congress that we want a robust and
fully funded paid family and medical leave policy in the next
reconciliation package.

The United States still does not yet have a national paid leave program --
and we are the only industrialized nation that fails to provide guaranteed
paid leave to its workers. [ [link removed] ]  This must change now. All families need
access to an equitable, robust and comprehensive paid family and medical
leave program. Families are having to make impossible choices between
being able to put food on the table or being there at critical moments
with loved ones or when a new child arrives, while our members of Congress
negotiate what goes into the reconciliation package. Let’s use all the
tools in our toolkits (including our voices!) to remind them of how
important paid family and medical leave is to our families, to our
communities, to our businesses and our economy.

[4]*Don’t forget to sign here. And if you have a moment this week, then
please use your voice to also call your Senator too by texting WECARE to
747464.

Thank you for your continued support, 

- Namatie, Ruth, Kristin, and the whole MomsRising.org/MamásConPoder Team

PS: This Monday, we’re joining national and state advocates for a Paid
Leave Day of Action. We will be calling, emailing and texting members of
Congress to demonstrate our collective MomPower and demand for a
comprehensive and permanent paid leave program for all working people. 

P.P.S. Personal experiences are powerful and can make a HUGE difference in
helping elected leaders understand how public policies impact families so
they can move change. We want to hear more from YOU! Can you take a second
and follow the link below to share your personal story about how having,
or NOT having, access to job-protected paid leave has impacted your family
in the pandemic?
[ [link removed] ][link removed]

References: 

[1] [ [link removed] ]Expanding Definitions of Family in Federal Laws  
[2] [ [link removed] ]ibid.
[3] [ [link removed] ]ibid.
[4] [ [link removed] ]Quick Facts on Paid Family and Medical Leave


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