Senate Democrats support paid family and medical leave

HB 628 is for the days when you can’t go to work, the days when you are forced to choose between being there for your family and your job, those days when illness keeps you out of work. It isn’t a vacation like some New Hampshire Republicans claim, it’s an opportunity to be there for your newborn child, a sick parent, or a dying spouse without sacrificing your economic security. Paid medical and family leave insurance would be a buffer when you need it so you do not have to threaten your ability to financially support your family when you are working hard to be there for your family.

“You shouldn’t have to choose between work and family, if at all possible. If you have a new child, you shouldn't have to risk your family's entire economic security to spend the first month or two with that child. If you have a spouse who is dying, you shouldn't have to risk your family's entire economic security to spend time with your spouse. If you have a child with severe disabilities and needs caregiving, you should be able to spend time with that child with temporary wage replacement insurance allowing that opportunity to occur”

- Sen Dan Feltes SD-15

HB 628 creates a voluntary paid medical and family leave insurance program, which New Hampshire workers pay into, and is available for them when they need it most. The plan creates a fund that is there for you, so you can be there for your family when it matters most.

Senate Democrats believe in paid leave for workers who have a new baby, to care for a sick or dying child or parent, or to deal with their own sickness. No one should have to choose between work and family, if at all possible. Catering to Americans for Prosperity and the insurance lobby, Senate Republicans voted down HB 628, the bipartisan bill with support from over 200 businesses that would have finally moved New Hampshire to paid family and medical leave insurance. Too many family businesses and too many working families are left out and left behind. We need to finally pass paid family and medical leave insurance; it is critical to attracting and retaining the workforce of tomorrow, to combatting our opioid epidemic, and to care for an aging population. When in the majority, we will pass paid family and medical leave.