mother with baby in hospital

Request for Information on Paid Leave

On July 15, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Women’s Bureau announced a request for information on the impact of paid family and medical leave on employees and employers.

The Women’s Bureau is requesting public comments concerning the effectiveness of current state- and employer-provided paid leave programs, and how access or lack of access to paid leave programs has affected women and their families.

The information provided will help the Department identify promising practices related to eligibility requirements, related costs, and administrative models of existing paid leave programs.

For the request for information, considerations for paid leave are limited to the following circumstances:

  • The birth of a child and need to care for the newborn child within one year following the birth;
  • The placement, with the employee, of a child for adoption or foster care and to care for the newly placed child within one year following placement;
  • To care for the employee’s spouse, child, or parent who has a serious health condition; or
  • A serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform the essential functions of his or her job.

The Women’s Bureau encourages commenters to refer to the following:

  • Types of leave or a qualifying circumstance; 
  • Source citations; and
  • The number of employees in the commenter’s organization/business.

The public can provide comments through September 14, 2020. Comments can be submitted online at www.regulations.gov (RIN 1290-ZA03) or by mail to Joan Harrigan-Farrelly, Deputy Director, Room S-3002, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20210.

UPDATE: The comments period is now closed. 

Additional Information