Tag: paid family leave scam

Tucked inside the Senate Republicans’ latest tax bill is a proposal they’re touting as a paid family leave plan.

It’s not.

The provision, as written in the version of the bill released Wednesday, offers companies a small tax credit for giving workers as little as two weeks of paid time off for family and medical leave. What’s covered by “family and medical leave” is not clearly defined. The concept is modeled on similar legislation pushed by Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) for the past few years.

Fischer seems thrilled. “This is a big step toward enacting the first nationwide paid leave policy in U.S. history,” she said in a statement Wednesday.

While the measure is certainly a sign that paid leave has finally become a major bipartisan issue, what’s on offer here will do little to address the needs of new parents in the United States, according to family advocates, some conservative economists and, well, common sense.