What’s in Biden paid leave plan and how it would work

Published May 2, 2021 10:16am ET



President Joe Biden unveiled his proposal for federally mandated paid parent, family, and personal illness leave as part of his second massive infrastructure package, estimated to total about $1.8 trillion.

Biden’s paid leave proposal in the American Families Plan would cost about $225 billion over 10 years and would be paid for via tax increases for the wealthy. The program would guarantee 12 weeks of paid leave by the end of that 10 years for people to care for a new child or relative, deal with a loved one’s military deployment, find safety from sexual assault, stalking, or domestic violence, heal from their own serious illness, or take time to deal with the death of a loved one. Details about the proposal are scarce. It does not say how many weeks workers will be guaranteed immediately or during each year before the 10-year mark. It also does not include an explanation of how funding for the program would be disbursed.

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