Committee gives strong support to Sen. Daughtry bill to help create statewide paid family medical leave policy

AUGUSTA — On Wednesday, the Legislature’s Committee on Labor and Housing passed 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 a vote of 9-2, with two members absent. 

“One of the greatest needs highlighted by COVID-19 pandemic is the lack of paid family medical leave many workers face. So many people across Maine had to very suddenly take extended time off from work to care for themselves or a loved one. But this problem isn’t new,” said Sen. Daughtry. “I’m incredibly grateful to the committee for their strong, tripartisan support of this bill. Providing paid family medical leave will give much-needed support and breathing room to workers across our state.”

LD 1559 would create a commission to study and propose a comprehensive paid family 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. 

“As a mission driven health care provider, we fundamentally believe everyone should be able to get affordable, high quality sexual and reproductive health care in their communities, no matter where they live or how much money they make and we advocate for policies that help make this vision a reality,” said Nicole Clegg, with Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. “It is this desire to improve the lives of our patients and the health of the community that leads us to support LD 1559 today. Nearly 70% of our patients are struggling financially, living at or below 200% of the federal poverty level and the majority, 86%, are women. We hear about their struggles to take care of their health and their families, which is why policies like paid family medical Leave are so important for attaining economic security.”

“We want to encourage family members to take responsibility for caring for older relatives who can no longer live independently. We also want to make sure that Maine’s working caregivers remain active in our shrinking workforce. Workers need to know that they can take the time they need to responsibly deal with a serious health condition of a loved one without jeopardizing their jobs or plunging themselves into a financial worry,” said Jess Maurer, executive director of the Maine Council on Aging.

A livestream of a press conference introducing the bill can be found here.

The bill now faces votes in the Senate and House.