| OCCOQUAN, Va. — Today, Delegate Briana Sewell (D-Prince William) and Senator Jennifer Boysko (D-Fairfax) joined impacted Virginians and advocates at an Occoquan small business today to call on Governor Youngkin to sign Paid Family and Medical Leave legislation.
Legislation patroned by Delegate Sewell, HB2531, passed both chambers of the General Assembly on February 12 with a 21 to 18 vote and is now on the governor’s desk. The deadline for Governor Glenn Youngkin to sign or veto the bill is in one week, on Monday, March 24.
“Establishing a Paid Family and Medical Leave program will allow small businesses to compete on a level playing field with big corporations, ensuring that they have the ability to attract and retain our workforce,” said Delegate Sewell. “I urge Governor Youngkin to stick to his promise to ‘keep Virginia winning’ and sign this winning legislation for hardworking Virginians today.”
“More than ever, families depend on women’s earnings, and yet women often are the ones that have to leave the workforce to care for their loved ones, for their children, for their spouses, for their aging parents,” said Senator Boysko who has patroned the legislation in the Senate for over seven years. “It is time for Governor Youngkin to commit to our hardworking Virginia families and sign the bill to make Paid Family and Medical Leave a reality for everyone.”
The bill will expand access to Paid Family and Medical Leave by ensuring that the 3.4 million Virginia workers without access to paid leave can take up to 12 weeks when experiencing events like a new baby, serious illness or injury with 80% wage replacement and protection of their health care coverage. On average, a typical Virginia worker taking four weeks of unpaid leave will lose $3,700 in income.
“We’ve spoken to parents who had to return to work just days after childbirth, workers recovering from surgery who couldn’t afford to miss a paycheck, and caregivers stretching themselves too thin because our system doesn’t support them,” said Freedom Virginia co-Executive Director Rhena Hicks. “We urge Governor Youngkin to sign this crucial piece of legislation and ensure no one has to choose between their job and their family.”
“It is time for Virginia to prioritize working families and their children by passing Paid Family and Medical Leave,” said Voices for Virginia’s Children Senior Policy Analyst Emily Moore. “It is morally irresponsible to expect families facing major life events or medical emergencies to go weeks on end without any income. It further jeopardizes their health and their economic stability. We can and we must do better.”
Across the country and in Virginia, momentum has been growing for Paid Family and Medical Leave. Thirteen states and the District of Columbia guarantee access to Paid Family and Medical Leave, including Minnesota and Maine, which passed legislation in 2023.
“I support Paid Family and Medical Leave and have always wanted to offer it. Still, we have thin profit margins, and with the rising cost of, well, everything, this has taken a back seat yet again to more critical financial needs,” said Sarah Burzio, owner of Hitchcock Paper Co. in Occoquan, which hosted the press conference today. “A statewide Paid Family and Medical Leave program would go a long way to helping me support my staff when family emergencies arise while not draining my already tight budget.”
“In 2014, my family received the worst news any parent could hear: our eight-year-old daughter Julia was diagnosed with brain cancer. A little over three months after Julia’s diagnosis, I had to take a one-year leave of absence because I simply had no more leave to use, and cancer did not care whether or not I could get paid time off to care for my daughter,” said Prince William resident Melissa Alexander. “Over the next few days, I hope the governor thinks of people like me as he contemplates what to do with this legislation, but more importantly, I hope he thinks of children like Julia who need their mamas when they are in the toughest fight of their lives.”
Photos from the event can be accessed HERE.
Video from the event can be accessed HERE. |
