Editor’s note: This commentary is by Rep. Janssen Willhoit, of St. Johnsbury, a Republican who represents the Caledonia-3 District in the Vermont House of Representatives.
[O]n this Father’s Day, I am reflecting on the legislature’s work this past biennium to try to make paid family leave a reality for all Vermont families.
[I] have been proud to represent my St. Johnsbury friends and neighbors in the Vermont Legislature for the last four years. Vermont is a special place, and I believe there is simply no better place in the country to live, work or raise a family. But we, like many states across the nation, still have work to do when it comes to enacting policies that allow us to better manage our work and family lives so that we are truly able to thrive in both worlds.
Just weeks ago, the Legislature was successful in passing a bill, with tri-partisan support, that would create a mechanism for Vermonters to contribute to a fund to have access to a benefit to support themselves through various challenging life events.
The legislation would have directed the state to create an insurance program that would provide Vermonters up to 12 weeks of leave welcoming a newborn child and up to six weeks of leave to care for an ill or injured family member. I am proud to have been a lead sponsor of this bill.
The program would have been funded by a 0.136 percent employee payroll deduction — just under $30 a year for a person making minimum wage — and would have given employers the option to pay the contribution on behalf of employees. The insurance program would offer Vermonters 70 percent wage replacement — up to $1,042.40 each week — during their leave. All workers who had earned at least $10,710 in Vermont during the last 12 months would have been eligible for the program.
I have had some people in the political world approach me, curious as to why I, a Republican legislator, have chosen this issue as something to champion. As a working adoptive/foster parent and small business owner, I understand both the need for paid family leave, but the economic pressures that make it a challenge for small business owners to provide such a policy on their own. I strongly believe that paid family leave is an issue we all can get behind, regardless of party, because it truly benefits us all.
Today, hardworking Vermont families have no choice but to return to work days after welcoming a new child — whether through birth, adoption or foster care — because they don’t have access to paid parental leave. This reality is not good for the economic security of our citizens and families, the health of our parents and children, or the stability of our workforce and economy.
From a business standpoint, we all want Vermont small businesses to succeed. After all, we are a small business state. I have heard from a remarkable number of small business owners that strongly support this program and who have expressed to me that, without this program, they would never be able to offer a paid family leave policy on their own, let alone one that allows them to compete with that kind of benefit from a large company. This program would help level the playing field for small businesses by creating a universal, statewide minimum benefit that would give Vermonters access to paid family leave and allow small employers to better compete for top talent.
I wish that, on this Father’s Day, I could be celebrating the passage of the family leave bill into law. This is not the case, however, and will not occur until both the Legislature and administration come together to make this benefit a reality for all Vermont working families. It is my hope that either during this special session, or the next biennium, a paid family leave insurance program becomes law.
