Skip to main content

Senators propose paid family leave tax credit

Image
By

WASHINGTON -- A Republican from Louisiana and a Democrat from Arizona have teamed up to try to give new parents better-paid leave.

The senators’ plan would allow new moms and dads to get a tax credit earlier than usual, but a policy group calls the proposal misleading.

The United States is the only industrialized nation without paid family leave. A handful of states have passed policies on their own, but more and more members of Congress are starting to support a federal mandate.

“That first year of life is the most expensive,” said U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-La).

As a dad and a doctor, Senator Cassidy says he knows the challenges leading up to a baby’s first birthday. That’s why the Republican is proposing a paid family leave plan. “If the mother breastfeeds, then it’s better for the child, it’s better for the mama, but it’s also better for society because they bond and with that bonding, things just go better,” he said.

The proposal, co-sponsored by Arizona Democrat Kyrsten Sinema, would allow new moms and dads to get an advance on their child tax credits and immediately receive $5,000 when a child is born.

They could use the money for income replacement to stay home with their baby, or spend it on daycare or other expenses to go back to work. “We’ve created a program which does not raise taxes, does not increase the deficit, has no mandates,” Cassidy said.

The proposal is starting to gain traction, but a policy group argues the money doesn’t come free – families would have to pay it back. “They’re kind of misrepresenting it as a paid family leave bill,” said Kathleen Romig with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

Romig calls the idea a loan, not a new benefit. Families would get the $5,000 upfront but have to pay back $500 each year for 10 years. “It would be difficult for many families to repay that amount,” she said.

Romig said she wants to see a paid family leave policy that offers new benefits and job protection to all families. “Unfortunately, that’s not what this is,” she said.

Romig says there is a second bipartisan option in Congress that would accomplish her goals called the Family Act. But since it would raise taxes to pay for the paid family leave President Donald Trump has tweeted support for Cassidy’s option.

from fox5sandiego.com
Source: https://ift.tt/3244w4y
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Virginia family gets keys to Habitat for Humanity’s first 3D-printed home in the US

By
(CNN) — One Virginia family received the keys to their new  3D-printed home  in time for Christmas. The home is Habitat for Humanity’s first 3D-printed home in the nation,  according to a Habitat news release. Janet V. Green, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Peninsula and Greater Williamsburg, told CNN it partnered with Alquist, a 3D printing company, earlier this year to begin the process. The 1,200-square-foot home has three bedrooms, two full baths and was built from concrete. The technology allowed the home to be built in just 12 hours, which saves about four weeks of construction time for a typical home. April Stringfield purchased the home through the  Habitat Homebuyer Program . She will move in with her 13-year-old son just in time for the holidays. “My son and I are so thankful,” Stringfield said in a  live feed streamed on Habitat’s Facebook  page. “I always wanted to be a homeowner. It’s like a dream come true.” To purchase the home, Stringfield logged hundreds of hours of
Post a Comment
Recent News

Lawsuit: High school football player says coaches forced him to eat pizza as punishment, violating religious beliefs

By
CANTON, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio high school football player who says coaches forced him to eat a pizza covered with pepperoni grease in violation of his religious beliefs is suing his former district and the ousted coaches. The former Canton McKinley High School athlete and his parents filed a federal civil rights suit this week seeking millions of dollars in damages and alleging violations of his religious freedom and constitutional rights. The athlete says in the lawsuit that coaches were notified he doesn’t eat pork or pork residue as a member of the Hebrew Israelite religious faith, but that they ordered him to eat the pizza as punishment for missing an offseason workout — and indicated his spot on the team was at risk if he didn’t. The coaches say the player chose to remove pepperoni and eat the pizza rather than an alternative food. They weren’t aware it violated his religious beliefs, according to a  defamation case they filed  previously against the teen’s father, his attorney a
Post a Comment
Recent News

Bergeron, Pastrnak and Bruins finish off Capitals in 5 games

By
WASHINGTON (AP) — Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak dazzled on offense, Tuukka Rask was rock solid in net and the Boston Bruins are moving on to the second round of the playoffs. Bergeron scored twice at crucial times after Pastrnak’s  highlight-reel  goal, Rask made 40 saves and the Bruins eliminated the Washington Capitals in five games with a 3-1 victory Sunday night. Bergeron delivered the dagger with 7:35 left to set up a second-round showdown against either the Pittsburgh Penguins or New York Islanders. Chants of “TUUKK!” emanated from a large group of black and gold-clad Boston fans who were part of the limited-capacity sellout crowd of 5,333. Those were occasionally interrupted by “We want the Cup!” — the trophy the Bruins last won a decade ago after a 39-year title drought. They’re 12 wins away, thanks to their best players dominating in Game 5. Pastrnak made it look easy putting the puck behind his back and through his legs, assisted on Bergeron’s first goal and was par
Post a Comment
Recent News