Honey / 2 Senator Doporto

S.S._____

A BILL
To ensure that all women are given the opportunity to receive full salary for 12 weeks while on maternity leave,
funded by payroll deductions.
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress
assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE
This act may be cited as the Working Mothers Act of 2015.
SECTION 2. FINDINGS
Congress hereby finds and declares that,
1) The United States is the only industrialized nation that does not mandate paid maternity leave.
2) Only 11 percent of workers are covered by formal paid family leave policies.
3) Countries that offer paid leave for parents have higher rates of people completing college educations, lower
rates of unemployment, lower rates of crime, lower rates of divorce and higher rates of parents returning to work
after child birth.
4) Employees who have paid maternity leave are more likely to return to work and stay longer in their jobs.
5) Paid family leave funded by payroll deductions costs less than $1 per week for each employee.
6) The U.S. Census Bureau finds that 97.6 percent of new mothers who have access to paid maternity who return to
the same employer do so at their previous pay level or higher, whereas 30.6 percent of women who have to change
employers after giving birth experience a drop in pay.
7) Expanding paid leave will have economy-wide benefits including reduced government spending on public
assistance and increased labor force participation, which would bring economic gains, generating a larger tax base
and increasing consumer spending.
8) Longer maternal leave benefits childrens health and development, it increases infant birthweight, decreases
premature births and decreases infant mortality.
9) Paid maternity leave will save taxpayers money by reducing families use of public assistance resources such as
food stamps and the use of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
10) Paid maternity leave increases worker retention and reduces turnover, saving businesses significant costs
associated with replacing employees.
SECTION 3. STATUTORY LANGUAGE
A) The Working Mothers Act of 2016 shall require all employees in the United States of America who become
pregnant to be given the opportunity to receive full salary maternity leave. Women shall be granted 12 weeks of
paid maternity leave, during the period of time of their own choosing. During this time women shall receive full
compensation at their typical occupational salary at the time their leave begins. In cases of abortion or miscarriage,
women may receive no less than 15 days of paid maternity leave after a pregnancy shorter than four months, and
no less than six weeks of maternity leave after a pregnancy longer than four months.In the case of adoption, women
shall be given the 12 week period of full salary leave. Women shall not be terminated during their pregnancy or
maternity leave. In the case of a fixed term contract employee, if a contract is to end during a womans pregnancy
or maternity leave the contract shall be automatically extended through a renewed end date or a second contract
until one year from the date the woman has chosen to start her 12 week leave.
B) The United States Department of Labor shall be responsible for ensuring that all employers are abiding by the
rules and regulations of the Working Mothers Act of 2016. The Act shall be funded by payroll deductions from all
employees. Each worker shall contribute a percent of their taxable wage base.
C) All employers who fail to follow the protocols and procedures required by this act shall be required to give the
employee whom did not receive proper paid leave, 12 weeks leave with 200% of their salary in compensation
during the12 week leave.