Family and Medical Leave
Policies to strengthen families have been a longstanding priority for Rep. Larson. He has always believed that support for families is critical to our communities and economy and knows people shouldn’t be forced to choose between paying their bills and caring for a loved one.
That’s why as President Pro Tempore of the Connecticut State Senate in 1987, Larson authored and passed the nation’s first Family and Medical Leave Act. This law guaranteed 16 weeks of leave for Connecticut workers at companies with at least 75 employees. This legislation served as a model when then-Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd authored the national Family and Medical Leave Act, enacted into federal law in 1993.
Now, Rep. Larson is continuing to advocate for families by pushing for paid leave. He is a longtime supporter of Rep. DeLauro’s FAMILY Act, which would create a national paid leave program. As a member of the Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over these policies, he is continually working to advance paid leave priorities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Rep. Larson helped write and pass the nation’s first paid family and sick leave, included in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. This policy included twelve weeks of paid leave for workers who needed to quarantine and enhanced unemployment insurance for furloughed workers, but expired on December 30, 2020.
Undeterred, Rep. Larson successfully ensured the inclusion of 12 weeks of parental, serious medical condition, or caregiving leave in the Build Back Better Act, which passed the House of Representatives in 2021. Unfortunately, paid family and medical leave was stripped out of the final version of this legislation by the Senate.
Rep. Larson will continue his career-long push to ensure that all Americans have access to paid time off to care for themselves and their families.