Newtown Letter: Paid Family Medical Leave

To the Editor,

It’s time for Paid Family Medical Leave in Connecticut

The odds are that sooner or later, one of your family members will have an emergency and need a caretaker.  Maybe your mom will break her hip and need help; maybe your husband or wife will need surgery and you’ll have to stay home to take care of them until they heal.  But will your employer let you take time off from work?  And can you afford to take the time off?

This is why we need Paid Family Medical Leave in Connecticut.  I was lucky; I was able to take care of my daughter when she was on complete bed rest because I worked in New York, and New York has Paid Family Medical Leave.  PFML is like insurance; it gives you the time you need to take care of your family when you need it.  

Republicans say PFML is a tax burden, a job killer, and an opportunity for cheaters.  This is just not true.   PFML is a benefit that helps keep people in their homes and in the workforce, despite family emergencies.  It is funded by a small payroll tax, and it requires verification before anyone can use the benefit.  Young people who are thinking of moving to Connecticut and starting a family will look at whether they will able to care for their family here.  Study after study shows that 75% of Americans, both Democrats and Republicans, support PFML.

If Connecticut is to be a great state in which to work and live, we need to put the needs of our people first.  Tell your legislators to vote for Paid Family Medical Leave.

Betsy Litt, Newtown