Metropolitan King County Council members on Thursday introduced legislation that would guarantee working moms and dads employed by the county up to 12 weeks in paid parental leave after a birth, adoption or new placement of a foster child.
Councilmember Rod Dembowski wrote the legislation that is co-sponsored by Councilmembers Jane Hague and Larry Gossett.
“It is past time that the United States join the ranks of every single other developed nation in the world, and ensure that new moms and dads have an opportunity to bond with their child without sacrificing the very wages needed to support a family,” said Dembowski in a media release. “Paid parental leave is not only the right thing to do for parents and kids, but as the private sector has demonstrated, it’s also fiscally responsible and aids in recruitment and retention of valuable employees. As one of the top ten employers in the state of Washington, King County has an obligation to lead and be a model employer.”
The proposed legislation would provide 12 weeks of 100 percent paid leave within a 12-month period to county employees who take time off work to bond with a new child or children resulting from a birth, adoption or new foster placement. Employees would be eligible to use this leave upon their start date, but would not be required to exhaust their vacation or sick leave benefits first.
“It is high time that Martin Luther King, Jr. County passes legislation to address the needs and wants of new parents,” said Councilmember Larry Gossett. “I consider this an important human rights issue that impacts children, parents and society. I am proud to join my other council members in sponsoring this legislation to provide 12 weeks of parental leave.”
If adopted, King County and its more than 14,000 employees would join the growing list of private sector companies and public sector jurisdictions that have adopted paid parental leave policies. These policies reflect the needs of a modern workforce in which around 64 percent of mothers with young children participate, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“We know that babies thrive best when their parents can spend those first weeks of life with them, with lasting benefits for their health and development,” said Dr. Marilyn P. Watkins, policy director of the Economic Opportunity Institute. “We also know that moms who have ample paid maternity leave are healthier, more likely to be employed a year later, and earn more than mothers without. So providing paid parental leave for all county employees will help families and our economy prosper. This is a great step forward toward the day when all parents and babies in our country have this commonsense benefit.”
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