A MESSAGE FROM CONGRESSMAN STENY H. HOYER
This week, I joined my colleagues in introducing the Comprehensive Paid Leave for Federal Employees Act, legislation to grant federal employees 12 weeks of paid leave if they face personal illness, illness of a family member, or a military deployment.
This bill follows on action taken last Congress, when I was proud to bring to the Floor legislation to guarantee paid parental leave to 2.1 million federal employees. While seeing that policy enacted into law was a major victory, it was an incomplete one. Under the Family and Medical Leave Act, federal employees are only allowed 12 weeks of unpaid leave should they or their family member suffer from an illness or military deployment. Many workers cannot afford to take unpaid time off in those situations, which is why it’s critically important that we extend paid family and medical leave benefits to federal employees. No family should have to decide between caring for a loved one or paying their bills.
The Comprehensive Paid Leave for Federal Employees Act will ensure our federal workforce has access to paid family and medical leave, and it will also ensure that our government can recruit and retain the best public servants. The federal government, the largest employer in our nation, should set an example of workplace policies.
The federal employees who live in the Fifth District have continued to work tirelessly during this pandemic - in unprecedented circumstances - in order to keep our country operating, and they should feel supported in their work. I will work with my Democratic colleagues to pass this bill, and I will work with the Biden Administration to have this bill enacted so that Maryland’s federal workers receive the benefits they have long deserved.
As always, I encourage all Fifth District residents to continue to share their concerns and insights with me by contacting my office or connecting with me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. If you are experiencing a personal difficulty such as issues accessing veterans benefits or another problem regarding a federal agency and you wish for my office to place an inquiry on your behalf, please complete the casework request form by clicking here.
Sincerely Yours, 
Steny H. Hoyer