PHOTO: John Stang
It’s been a bad week for working families in the Washington State Legislature, as Monday the WA State Senate voted to potentially repeal our Paid Family and Medical Leave system.
Please contact your legislators in the WA State House (1-800-562-6000) and tell them one more time:
Don’t accept the Senate plan to repeal Family and Medical Leave Insurance! Washington’s working families and small businesses need expansion of paid leave protections, not rollbacks.
On Monday, the Senate passed SB 5903 by a vote of 27 to 21 (see how your Senator voted here). It would repeal the Family and Medical Leave Insurance if the legislature does not approve funding by 2015. The bill would create a taskforce of eight legislators with the assignment of recommending a funding mechanism.
What’s wrong with a taskforce? Some taskforces do good work, but this one is merely a smoke screen that will allow legislators to repeal family leave insurance without looking like they are taking an anti-family vote. Besides, we don’t need another task force! We already had one in 2007. Another will be a costly waste of time, and result in repeal of paid family leave.
The Senate repeal bill now goes to the House. Please take 5 minutes today to urge your Representatives to to do the right thing.
Action for today: Call the legislative hotline 1-800-562-6000. Tell your legislators in the House of Representatives:
- Please support Washington working families and vote NO on SB 5903.
- Do not support any measure that will repeal Washington’s Family and Medical Leave Insurance program.
- Washington’s working families and small businesses need expansion of paid leave protections, not rollbacks.
Washington Work and Family Coalition 