Current law requires that companies with a minimum of 50 full-time employees offer 12 weeks of unpaid medical leave. Companies may lose their federal contracts if they fail to do so.
This standard is too low. The United States, with Papua New Guinea, Liberia and Swaziland, are the only countries in the world without some form of paid leave. India, China, Brazil and Russia all feature robust maternal leave programs.
Congress should address this issue immediately. However, even without congressional action, President Obama should take executive action requiring that any company seeking a governmental contract first adopt paid leave policies.