Senate gives bipartisan support to Sen. Daughtry bill to help create statewide paid family medical leave policy

AUGUSTA — On Thursday, the Maine Senate voted in favor of a bill from Sen. Mattie Daughtry, D-Brunswick, that would create a commission to study the best way to implement a paid family leave policy in Maine. LD 1559, “Resolve, To Create the Commission To Develop a Paid Family and Medical Leave Benefits Program,” received bipartisan support in a vote of 23-11. 

“No one should be forced to choose between financial security and personal and family wellness. The United States is the only developed country in the world without a paid family medical leave policy. Nationally, 85 percent of workers must choose between taking care of their health and losing their income. While there are proposals at the federal level to implement paid family medical leave, we all know how slow things move in Washington. We cannot afford to wait for politicians in D.C. to act,” said Sen. Daughtry. “We need to create a system for and by Maine — that meets the needs of everyday Mainers, from gig workers, to farmers, fishers and lobstermen, to brewers, waiters and line cooks, to nurses and public safety workers. I’m grateful to my colleagues in the Senate for their support of this vital bill.”

LD 1559 would create a commission to study and propose a comprehensive paid family and medical leave program for Maine. The commission will hear from workers, employers, caregivers and experts, and will propose a system to support all workers, families and employers in Maine. This commission would craft a system that best fits Maine’s needs and demographics.

Only 15 percent of American workers have access to any sort of paid leave, and fewer than 60 percent of the workforce has access to unpaid leave under the Family Medical Leave Act. Nationally, one in four women takes fewer than 11 days of parental leave after giving birth despite a recommended six- to eight-week recovery period. 

“On March 3, my daughter gave birth to my first grandchild, Evelyn Grace. Fortunately, living in Rhode Island, she was granted 12 weeks of leave, giving her and Evelyn an opportunity to bond. That is how it should be here. This bill gives us the opportunity to create a paid family leave plan that’s right for Maine businesses, Maine workers and Maine families,” said Sen. Joe Rafferty, D-Kennebunk. “The numbers show overwhelmingly that Mainers are in favor of some form of paid family and medical leave; it is only right we follow the will of the people.”

The bill faces further votes in the Legislature.