“By expressing for the first time ever her support for the Family And Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act in a Bloomberg TV interview that aired today, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg has lent her powerful and inspiring voice to an issue of paramount importance to working people across the country. The policy is critical to employers, communities and the overall health and economic well-being of our nation as well. Sandberg is one of the most influential women in business today, and this announcement further signals her deep commitment to securing both cultural and policy change for all of America’s women and families.

The FAMILY Act would establish a sustainable national paid leave insurance program that enables all working people to take partially paid time away from their jobs to address serious personal or family medical needs. It is the only federal proposal that checks all the boxes, and it is modeled on successful programs in place, or soon to be in place, in five states and the District of Columbia. Sandberg’s support gives a major boost to the proposal and its approach, further dispelling the myth that business interests are at odds with the interests of working people.

This is a tremendously positive development at a time when private sector businesses and leaders, state and local lawmakers, the public and scholars with diverse backgrounds are aligning around the need for an inclusive, responsible public policy to address the nation’s paid family and medical leave crisis. At this critical moment, policy details matter greatly. The fact that a prominent leader in corporate America like Sandberg is pushing for this bill is hugely significant. We look forward to continuing to work with her to build support for the FAMILY Act and its passage.”