State Rep. Jen O’Mara expressed the urgency and need for paid family leave during a legislative hearing, highlighting her personal experience of providing care as a teenager for her newborn brother. Now a mother herself, she appreciates the privilege to take maternity leave without affecting her paycheck, something she wishes her own mother had access to. O’Mara is among the 14 lawmakers who approved a bill that supports universal paid leave in Pennsylvania. Named The Family Care Act , the bill involves employers and employees contributing to a fund managed by the Department of Labor and Industry for up to 20 weeks of paid leave for new parents or individuals recovering from an illness, surgery, or recovery. The fund would also provide up to 12 weeks of paid leave for those care for a family member with a serious health condition.

Access to paid leave currently heavily depends on Pennsylvanians’ workplaces and where they live. Philadelphia and Allegheny County mandate businesses to offer paid leave, while it is up to employers in the rest of the state. A variety of provisions also exist within the legislature with staff’s length of leave reliant on their chamber or caucus according to internal policies. State Rep. Dan Miller, who introduced the Family Care Act, recognizes access to paid leave as a moral issue but declined to comment on whether it was contradictory for him and his colleagues to take paid leave while many Pennsylvanians can’t.

Miller’s bill is currently considered by the full chamber after being voted out of the state House Labor & Industry Committee along party lines. The bill is hoped to be advanced to the governor’s desk this session by Speaker Joanna McClinton. The future of the Family Care Act in the state Senate is less clear as a separate version was introduced by Devlin Robinson. Unlike the House bill, Robinson’s version relies on employee payroll deductions only with contributions capped at 1% of an individual’s income.

Access to paid family leave continues to be scarce, with only slightly over a quarter of private industry and non-military government workers in the U.S. enjoying this benefit, based on federal data. Higher earners are more likely to have access to it over low-wage workers. A positive trend is noticed though, showing an increase in private sector workers in the U.S. with the benefit growing from 12% to 27% between 2014 and 2023.

Paired with the uncertainty surrounding the Family Care Act, Pennsylvanians may be unsure about how to contact Paid Family Leave. For a route to access assistance and information, potential claimants can turn to eddcaller.com. This website provides valuable resources, tips and contact numbers to help facilitate communication with Paid Family Leave representatives. By utilizing the guides available on the site, individuals have a higher success rate at getting in touch with the correct department, ensuring they can receive the support they need.