Senator Cassidy Introduces Bipartisan Parental Leave Bill
Senator Bill Cassidy introduces bipartisan legislation that will allow parents to receive a larger child tax credit in their year after they have a kid, or adopt.
The child tax credit is currently 2,000 dollars a year, and Cassidy says this bill would allow them to borrow against the next six years of tax credits and receive 5,000 dollars in the child’s first year.
“They can take that 5,000 dollars, and they can use it for income replacement if they decide to stay home, or if they need to return to work, they can use it for childcare,” says Cassidy.
Cassidy says the legislation will not raise taxes or hurt Social Security.
The legislation is a form of paid leave, and Cassidy says the legislation will help parents when they need it most, in that expensive first year of child-rearing.
“Studies show that the first year of life is most expensive, but also if the employee remains attached to the workplace her salary goes up,” says Cassidy.
Other proposals push for mandatory paid parental leave from US companies. America is one of the only industrialized nations not to have legally required paid parental leave for employees.
The bill comes at a time when Capitol Hill is fiercely divided on impeachment, but Cassidy says his proposal is proof Congress can still get major accomplishments in this highly partisan era.
“This is a bipartisan, bicameral bill that shows that a divided Congress can actually pass something,” says Cassidy.