Richmond, Virginia—In a massive victory for working families in our community, the House of Delegates has passed a historic bill to extend eight weeks of paid family and medical leave to private sector employees across the Commonwealth. SB 373, sponsored by Senator Jennifer Boysko, passed the House on a vote of 50-46 and will now be sent to Governor Glenn Youngkin for a signature. 

“Paid family and medical leave is a lifeline for working families who are grappling with illness, helping care for family members, or taking some time to welcome a new child. We’ve spent years pushing for this bill, and we’re thrilled that it’s becoming a reality,” said LaTwyla Mathias, Executive Director at Progress Virginia. “Paid leave is also a justice issue: it helps level the playing field for the Black and Brown women who too often shoulder the burden of care at the expense of their own physical and financial health. We’re concerned that the bill excludes public sector workers like teachers and bus drivers, who need this support as much as anyone. There is certainly still work to do, but we’re celebrating this victory for our community, and we will forcefully advocate that Governor Youngkin sign it into law.”

BACKGROUND: 

• SB 373 passed by a margin of 50-46.
• The initial version of this bill covered all workers in Virginia for up to 12 weeks; the appropriations committees in both bodies reduced the coverage to eight weeks and excluded public-sector employees. 
• The US is one of only six countries with no federal paid family leave and is one of only 11 countries with no paid medical leave.
• 76% of Virginians have no guarantee that they won’t miss a paycheck if they get sick or take a few weeks off after the birth of a child.
• Younger Americans increasingly struggle with the high cost of living: housing prices have increased a whopping 121%since the 1960s, and more than half of 18 to 39-year-olds are paying more than 30% of their income on rent (with the impact being felt hardest by Gen Z.)
• The federal Family and Medical Leave Act, which allows for unpaid leave but does nothing to help ameliorate a family’s costs, only applies to 39% of Virginians.​​ The rest are left to fend for themselves, with often disastrous long-term consequences for everything from pediatric health outcomes to poverty rates among senior women.  
• Because caregiving responsibilities fall disproportionately on women, and because of the reality of the gender pay gap, more women than men are forced to leave the workforce because of caregiving responsibilities.
• Racial disparities in wealth are exacerbated by a lack of access to paid family and medical leave.
• Black people face significantly higher maternal mortality rates and higher rates of postpartum complications than their white counterparts, making paid leave an even more critical issue. 
• SB 373 establishes a new pooled paid family and medical leave fund. 
• A loan from the General Fund would initially finance the paid family and medical leave fund, but repayment of that loan and funding in perpetuity would come from small contributions from employers and employees. 
• For an employee earning $50,000 per year, the employer and employee would each pay an estimated $4.57 per week ($237.50 per year).  
• An employee utilizing the fund would be eligible for an 80% wage replacement for up to 8 weeks.