In recent years, the issue of paid family leave has garnered attention from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. Along with the COVID-19 pandemic, three recent developments have pushed the debate forward: 1) the increasing patchwork of state and local paid leave law requirements; 2) the new paid family leave benefit for federal government employees beginning in 2021; and 3) the paid family and sick leave provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). 

President Biden calls for legislation that would: reinstate the requirement that employers provide paid leave and expand coverage to virtually all employers; expand paid sick and family medical leave to 14 weeks for the same reasons included in the FFCRA and for time off to get the vaccine; provide a maximum paid leave benefit of $1,400 per-week for eligible workers; reimburse employers with fewer than 500 employees for the full cost of the leave by extending the tax credits; extend emergency paid leave measures through Sept. 30, 2021.