President Trump understands the importance of strengthening the family bond by providing parents with the means to spend more time with their newborn children. President Trump made Paid Family Leave a part of his “American Working Families” policy portfolio because he knows giving families the opportunity to take time off from work to raise a child, or care for an elder, will not only improve the health and well-being of the family unit, but will also lead to a happier, more productive workforce in the long term. It is absolutely critical that our federal government moves forward with a Paid Family and Medical Leave law and it is time for Republicans to lead the charge.
Last month Ivanka Trump began meeting with members of Congress urging them to bring a bi-partisan proposal forward on Paid Family and Medical leave. I have filed House Concurrent Resolution 40 to send a strong message from our state legislature to Congress that paid family and medical leave is critical to our efforts to promote stronger families, to improve morale in our workforce, and to keep Missourians self-sufficient. The United States is the only industrialized nation with no national paid leave law. This is despite the fact that now 60 percent of married-couple families with children under 18 have both parents working and more than 16 percent of our population is currently providing care for an elderly family member. Women who utilize paid family and medical leave are significantly less likely to rely on public assistance or food stamps in the year following a child’s birth.
Paid leave would allow our families to better balance the demands of work and family so that they can continue their careers and strengthen their family unit. It’s time for Republicans to rally behind the President and Ivanka as they work to make paid family leave a reality for American families.
Rep. Chris Dinkins, a Republican, represents Iron County and parts of Washington, Wayne and Reynolds Counties (District 144) in the Missouri House of Representatives. She was elected to her first term in a special election in February 2018.
