Press Statement
Oregon Governor Signs Country’s Most Progressive Paid Leave Bill Into Law

“Today marks a tremendous victory for working people, families and businesses in Oregon as Gov. Kate Brown signed into law the nation’s ninth statewide paid family and medical leave program. This latest paid leave win means working Oregonians will no longer have to choose between economic security and taking time to care for themselves or a loved one. We applaud Family Forward Oregon, Time to Care Oregon, activists and legislative champions for fighting for a progressive policy that includes an inclusive family definition, generous wage replacement rate and — in a first for statewide policies — leave for reasons related to domestic violence, harassment, sexual assault or stalking.

The momentum for paid leave is undeniable. In just over three years, the number of states that have or will soon have paid leave policies in place has tripled. In the past two months alone, Oregon and Connecticut signed statewide paid leave bills into law, and the District of Columbia began collecting benefits for its paid leave program.

Progress on paid leave makes clear that we are no longer asking if the United States will pass a national paid leave policy, but rather when. Of course, the details of such a policy matter, which is why we urge members of Congress to support and pass the Family And Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act, an inclusive, comprehensive national paid leave plan modeled after policies already working well in multiple states.”

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About the National Partnership for Women & Families

The National Partnership for Women & Families is a nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy group dedicated to promoting fairness in the workplace, reproductive health and rights, access to quality, affordable health care and policies that help all people meet the dual demands of work and family.

More information is available at NationalPartnership.org.

For general inquiries, please email press@nationalpartnership.org.