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Bills on family leave proposed with female voters in mind
U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) speaks during a news conference February 12, 2019 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Gillibrand and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) held a news conference to introduce the "Family and Medical Insurance Leave Act," or FAMILY Act.
Alex Wong/Getty Images
Democrats have reintroduced two pieces of legislation: the Family and Medical Insurance Leave (or FAMILY) Act to guarantee workers paid family and medical leave, and the Healthy Families Act to guarantee paid sick days. President Trump included a family leave proposal in his 2020 budget, and Republicans have proposals as well. With divided government, getting family-leave or sick-day bills out of Congress and to the president is highly unlikely before the 2020 election. Each party is positioning itself on this issue because of voter concern about the challenge of balancing work and family, and the clout of women in the electorate.
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