Timely Topics | Take Action

Two Promising Solutions

Here in Illinois, ParentsWork is part of a coalition led by Women Employed that is working to build support for the Illinois Family & Medical Leave Insurance Program (FLIP).  This proposal, which is being championed by State Representative Julie Hamos (D-Evanston), would provide workers with up to four weeks of partially paid leave per year to care for a newborn or adopted child or to deal with a serious personal or family medical emergency.   Employers and employees would share the cost of creating the program by each contributing 75 cents per week to the insurance fund. Click here for a fact sheet about the FLIP program.

We are also working to get the word out about The Healthy Families Act, a proposal that is being sponsored in the U.S. Congress by Senator Kennedy (D-MA) and Representative DeLauro (D-CT).  It would require employers with 15 or more employees to provide 7 days of paid sick leave each year to those working full-time and a pro-rated amount to those working part-time.  Employees could use the leave for their own medical needs or to care for the medical needs of a child or other family member. 

What You Can Do