Ernst unveils bipartisan bill to update nation’s family leave policies

U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) this week introduced bipartisan legislation to improve United States law regarding family leave for Americans.

“It’s past time we modernize our family leave policies to reflect the evolving needs of today’s workforce and to reduce the barriers that pose challenges for parents balancing family and work,” Sen. Ernst said on March 12.

Joined by U.S. Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), she offered the Child Rearing and Development Leave Empowerment (CRADLE) Act, which would allow both natural and adoptive parents to receive one, two, or three months of paid leave benefits by giving them the option to delay activating their Social Security benefits for two, four, or six months, according to a summary of the bill provided by the lawmakers. 

“Millions of working moms and dads in Iowa, and across the country, face huge hurdles in taking time off to spend with their newborns,” said Sen. Ernst. “As a mother, I understand how important it is for children to bond with their parents in the first precious few weeks after birth.”

She added that the CRADLE Act “is a path forward for a budget neutral paid leave option that gives parents greater flexibility without imposing a new government entitlement or mandate.”

If enacted, the bill would require expectant parents to fill out a form notifying the Social Security Administration (SSA) they planned to take paid leave before an expected birth or adoption, according to the summary. 

Following the birth or adoption, SSA payments would kick in two weeks after parents applied for their baby’s Social Security Number, according to the summary, which also said that benefit levels would be determined via the same formula used for determining Social Security Disability benefits.

Parents would be eligible for the payments if they meet specific work requirements, according to the senators’ information on the bill.

“We need to make sure our existing social insurance programs are doing all they can to work for working families,” said Sen. Lee. “The CRADLE Act will give working families the flexibility they need to make sure Social Security is working for them.”

The summary of the bill said the senators seek Democrats and Republicans willing to work together to find common ground regarding the nation’s federal entitlement system and labor policies, which they think no longer fit in today’s society or economy. 

“Parents are looking for additional flexibility and Congress can provide it by making an existing future benefit available early during the special time of starting and growing a family, which is truly unlike any other stage of life,” according to their one-page summary of the CRADLE Act. “It doesn’t require raising taxes on American workers or further exacerbating the national debt.”