Want to honor mothers this week? Take a moment to ask your Congressperson to co-sponsor the just introduced Family Leave Insurance Act of 2008 in honor of Mother’s Day.

If passed, the Family Leave Insurance Act (HR 5873) would provide paid family leave to care for a new child, sick family member, treat their own illness, or deal with an exigency caused by the deployment of a member of the military. With the recent passage of Family Leave Insurance bills in New Jersey and Washington, MomsRising.org members have been gaining momentum. Now it's time to bring that momentum to the national level:

http://www.momsrising.org/Cosponsor_FamilyLeaveInsurance

MomsRising.org members are a make-it-or-break-it force on this issue. Frankly, it's going to take some heavy lifting to get the co-sponsors and momentum this bill needs to pass. But it’s worth the effort. The U.S. is way behind the rest of the world on family leave, and this bill can help us catch up. Here are some quick stats:

• A Harvard/McGill University study of over 170 countries found that only four don’t have some form of paid leave for new moms. The four are the United States, Papua New Guinea, Swaziland, and Liberia;


• Paid family leave has been shown to drop infant mortality by as much as 25%; and,


• Paid family leave has been shown to help narrow the wage penalties mothers face.

This is an important moment to help spark real change.

HERE IS WHAT TWO OF THE BILL'S CO-SPONSORS HAD TO SAY:

We hear a lot of talk about family values in Washington. It is time for Congress to stop just talking about family values and take action that families will actually value. The Family and Medical Leave Act has been a tremendous success, but many workers cannot afford to take unpaid leave. To make the offer real, the U.S. should take the next step by providing paid leave to all workers. I am proud to join fellow Representatives Miller, Woolsey, and Maloney in introducing legislation that, if passed, will mean healthier children, stronger families, and more competitive businesses.
-- Rep. Pete Stark

Family-friendly policies like guaranteed paid leave not only help parents balance work and family, but also improve employers' bottom lines. When workers have the ability to take advantage of these family-friendly policies, their employers benefit from increased recruitment and retention rates, decreased absenteeism and improved productivity.
-- Rep. George Miller, chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee.

EMAIL YOUR CONGRESSPERSON TODAY TO GET THEIR SUPPORT FOR FAMILY LEAVE:
http://www.momsrising.org/Cosponsor_FamilyLeaveInsurance