HR0798 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

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HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The United States is the only industrialized nation in the world that does not mandate or subsidize some form of paid parental leave; and

WHEREAS, Approximately 60 percent of new parents in the United States lack access to paid parental leave, placing additional financial stress on top of the responsibilities that come with a newborn child; and

WHEREAS, Numerous studies have shown that women who receive paid leave are more likely to return to work after having a child, and that men who receive paid leave are more likely to be engaged in caring for their children; and

WHEREAS, Studies from McGill University and the University of California in Los Angeles show that paid parental leave is associated with lower infant mortality rates, increased childhood vaccination rates, high school graduation rates, and higher average lifetime earnings for the child; and

WHEREAS, Despite widespread bipartisan support, the main impediment to the implementation of a federal paid leave policy in the United States is cost; according to the American Action Forum, a universal 12-week federal paid parental leave policy, such as the 2017 FAMILY Act, would cost the Federal Government an estimated $85.9 billion annually; and

WHEREAS, Paid parental leave could be offered by the Federal Government at no additional cost by allowing new parents to receive some Social Security benefits after the arrival of their child in exchange for agreeing to defer the collection of their Social Security benefits upon retirement; and

WHEREAS, While the length of this deferment would be calculated to offset the cost of providing the parental benefits, preliminary estimates suggest that in order to provide 12 weeks of paid parental leave, new parents would only need to defer their benefits upon retirement by six weeks; and

WHEREAS, The Social Security Administration already administers programs under which workers may choose to defer their benefits; the implementation of such a paid parental leave program could be readily administered by existing infrastructure; and

WHEREAS, The benefits of paid parental leave are clear, and by allowing new parents to voluntarily defer their Social Security retirement benefits, federal paid parental leave can be implemented without a negative effect on the budget of the Federal Government; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge Congress to establish federal paid parental leave at no additional cost by allowing new parents to defer collection of Social Security benefits upon retirement; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, U.S. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, and U.S. House of Representatives Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.