“The momentum for a national paid family and medical leave policy has reached the United States Senate. Today, four Republicans joined all Senate Democrats who were present to vote in favor of Sen. Brian Schatz’s motion to instruct conferees to include the Federal Employee Paid Leave Act (FEPLA) in the final National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) conference agreement. The bipartisan support for FEPLA in the Senate today should signal to conferees that they must fight to include the provision in the final agreement.

While the motion to instruct conferees fell short by a vote of 47-48, among the five senators not present were four who have stated their support for FEPLA. That means the majority of senators support comprehensive paid family and medical leave for federal employees. These 51 Senators join 8 in 10 voters who support a comprehensive national paid leave plan, nine states that have enacted paid leave policies, and a growing list of businesses that understand paid family and medical leave is good for working people, their families and our country.”