WASHINGTON – Senate Finance Paid Leave Working Group Co-Chairs, U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH), announced that the Working Group will host a roundtable titled “Paid Leave Proposals in the COVID Era” at 11 a.m. Thursday, June 18 in room 215 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, with some participants joining in person and others joining virtually. A live stream of the roundtable will be available here.
In order to ensure social distancing, there will be limited in-person attendance for the media – any member of the media wishing to attend must RSVP to Cole_Avery@cassidy.senate.gov orLaura_epstein@hassan.senate.gov.
“Covid-19 created new challenges for families who must balance work and childcare. Thursday’s roundtable allows for an exchange of ideas so we can discover how paid leave can assist in solving those challenges,” said Dr. Cassidy.
“As businesses begin to reopen and many more Americans return to work amid the COVID-19 pandemic, access to paid leave is more important than ever,” said Senator Hassan. “From a mom or dad who needs to take care of a sick child to a worker who needs to stay home to not only tend to their own health needs, but also to avoid infecting others, paid leave is absolutely essential. I look forward to Thursday’s discussion with bipartisan Members of Congress and experts about ways we can work together to address this critical priority now and for years to come.”
In addition to Senators Cassidy and Hassan, Senators participating in the roundtable will include Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR), Senators Joni Ernst (R-IA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Marco Rubio (R-FL).
The Working Group will also hear from three outside experts:
· Adrienne Schweer, Leader of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Paid Family Leave Task Force
· Erika Moritsugu, Vice President for Economic Justice at the National Partnership for Women & Families
· Carrie Lukas, President of the Independent Women’s Forum.
In view of the limited time available to hear Senators and experts, oral commentary at this roundtable will be from invited parties only. However, any Senator, individual, or organization not scheduled for an oral appearance may submit a written commentary for consideration by the Working Group. Commentary should be emailed to paidfamilyleave@finance.senate.gov.
The interim update of the Working Group is available here.
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