Parents could draw from their Social Security early to spend time with a new child in exchange for delaying retirement, under a proposal unveiled by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.
The move to address paid family leave is unusual for a Republican, as the idea has typically had Democratic support, and it’s unclear whether Rubio’s idea will be able to gain traction. Although a House version of the legislation, the Economic Security for New Parents Act, will be filed by Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Mo., it does not yet have any co-sponsors in the Senate.
The details of the Economic Security for New Parents Act were unveiled Wednesday evening and discussed in a call with reporters Thursday. The provision would be voluntary and would not add taxes to people’s paychecks. In exchange for the leave, parents would delay retirement benefits from three to six months.
“There is widespread agreement among the folks we have been talking with that this is the direction to go,” an aide from Rubio’s office said. “Sen. Rubio is getting the bill out to start the conversation. This has been a topic among Democrats and the folks on the Left, but there hasn’t been a concerted effort by Republicans.”
[Ivanka Trump: ‘I’m an optimist’ on passing paid family leave]
Rubio had introduced the bill, the aide continued, “fully realizing that people will be forced to engage and changes will be made along the way.”
Under the legislation, parents would need to demonstrate that they are working and that they plan to take at least two months off to spend time with a new child. Should some parents ultimately choose to stay at home and not return to the workforce, they could still receive benefits for up to three months, provided they were working previously.
According to Rubio’s office, parents who make below median family income of about $70,000 would be able to receive two months’ leave at more than 70 percent of their wages. Parents would need to provide documentation showing they were working and that the children belong to them, whether biologically or legally in the case of an adoption.
Parents also could divide up their time at home in instances of two-parent households, or transfer benefits over. For instance, one parent could take two weeks and the other parent could use his or her benefit and an additional six weeks.
“There is nothing we can do for our children that’s better than allowing their parents to spend more time and be more involved in their lives, especially in their early days,” Rubio said on “CBS This Morning.”
Rubio said the bill is aimed at helping families, saying too many parents have to return to work quickly because they cannot miss a paycheck. Some women who have cesarean sections are returning to the work force within a week, before they have healed from the surgery, he said.
Senator @MarcoRubio will introduce a bill today to help parents get paid family leave. It’s called the Economic Security for New Parents Act. The measure would give parents two months of paid leave, by pulling from their future social security benefits.
Sen. Rubio joins us: pic.twitter.com/sO0JNnYzJu
— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) August 2, 2018
Passing a policy on paid family leave has been a focus for first daughter and presidential adviser Ivanka Trump, who has stressed that she wants to arrive at an agreement that will have enough votes to pass. She has met with Rubio as well as with Republican Sens. Joni Ernst of Iowa and Mike Lee of Utah. She has not disclosed the names of Democrats who have discussed the policy with her.
Thirty-two Senate Democrats support a bill called the Family and Medical Insurance Leave Act, which is funded through payroll taxes paid for by employees. The provision is similar to laws on the books in California, New York, New Jersey, and Rhode Island.
The proposal, unlike the Republican idea, allows leave for circumstances other than a new child, including if a family member gets sick or if someone needs to take time off to undergo treatment for an illness. During that time, people would be guaranteed 66 percent of their regular earnings up to $4,000 a month. The plan is similar to short-term disability coverage that some employers offer.
Shilpa Phadke, vice president of the Women’s Initiative at the left-leaning Center for American Progress, called Rubio’s proposal a “sham” that was “out of touch with the needs of working families,” noting that roughly 75 percent of workers who take leave are tending to their own medical needs.
“Rather than focus on a proposal that is dead on arrival and opposed by groups across the ideological spectrum, Congress should pass a comprehensive paid family and medical leave program that reflects the demands on America’s workforce,” she said.
An aide from Rubio’s office said that the senator wanted to increase access to various needs families face in the workplace, but that he chose to focus on parental leave to “make a contribution to the debate of what it means to provide access to paid leave in this country.” The aide noted that the relationship between Social Security and having children also played a factor in the decision.
“There is a significant attachment to childbearing and Social Security that other needs don’t have,” the aide said. “Social Security is dependent on having and raising the next generation that will be paying into it.”
