According to the working group of the American Enterprise Institute and Brookings Institute, polls show overwhelming public support for paid family and medical leave.
Support for the concept is bipartisan, with almost 71 percent of Republicans and 83 percent of Democrats in favor of a paid parental leave policy.
Yet the United States is the only advanced nation that does not have a paid leave policy at the national level.
The federal Family and Medical Leave Act, passed in 1993, offers 12 weeks of job-protected, unpaid leave, but only about 60 percent of the workforce is eligible for its protections.
The three main purposes of well-designed paid leave are to assist those who need to take leave from work for the birth or adoption of a child, to care for an ill family member, or to address their own serious illness.
How can we get policies with this broad support passed into law?
First by electing representatives like Dan Feehan who will prioritize working on solutions. Compromise should not be seen as a dreaded policy outcome. It’s the most durable way to enact laws.
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Dan will work with all elected officials to push forward policies like paid family and medical leave. Given that most people will need time off during their working lives to care for a personal or family illness, or for a new child, this issue will continue to be a salient concern for all families across the country.
We should no longer accept representatives who will not stand up for independence and work together for the common good. The candidate running for Congress in Minnesota's 1st District willing to work on these tough, but crucial issues is Dan Feehan. Dan is worthy of your vote in November.
Jason Ludwigson, La Crescent