Family & Medical Leave Insurance Press Conference & Policy Brief Release
Jillian Gilchrest
MEDIA RELEASE
Contact: Jillian Gilchrest | 860-933-2596 | jgilc...@cahs.org
Lawmakers and Advocates Call for a Task Force to Study
Family & Medical Leave Insurance to Provide Much Needed
Relief to Connecticut Families and Businesses
Press Conference is Tuesday, March 12 at 10AM in Room 1B of the LOB
For Immediate Release
Hartford—The Connecticut Family & Medical Leave Insurance (FMLI) Coalition will join with legislators to support the introduction of HB 6553, An Act Establishing a Task Force to Study Family Medical Leave Insurance and the release of a new Policy Brief by the Connecticut Association for Human Services (CAHS) linking FMLI to Family Economic Security.
HB 6553 requires that a Task Force of individuals from various fields and professions be appointed to study how Connecticut can establish an insurance program to provide short-term benefits to workers who are unable to work due to pregnancy or the birth of a child; a non-work related illness or injury; or the need to care for a seriously ill child, spouse or parent.
Many Connecticut workers are not covered by or eligible for the protections offered by the Federal or State Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and for those who are eligible, the majority cannot afford an unpaid leave. “Families are facing extreme financial hardships when their own illness, the illness of a loved one or the birth of a child requires them to take an unpaid leave from work,” said Jillian Gilchrest, Assistant Policy Director at CAHS and co-chair of Connecticut’s FMLI Coalition.
Family Medical Leave Insurance is key to preventing families from falling into poverty. Workers who have access to paid leave after a child’s birth tend to remain in the workforce, have higher wages over time, and rely less on public assistance and food stamp benefits. Paid leave also safeguards the income and retirement security of workers with eldercare responsibilities who might otherwise have to drop out of the workforce.
“When the Family Medical Leave Act was passed 20 years ago, it was done with the hope of imparting some balance in the demands of work and family responsibilities,” said Teresa Younger, executive director of the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women, a research and public policy arm of the General Assembly. “FMLA has become a cornerstone of family-friendly workplace policies, and we believe that this is the right time to establish a task force to study a family medical leave insurance program that could enhance a family’s overall financial security picture.”
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The Connecticut Association for Human Services (CAHS) uniquely combines outreach into working communities at the neighborhood level with broad-based policy work at the state and federal level. As the Kids Count partner for the state of Connecticut and a long-time advocate for family economic success, CAHS uses research to drive advocacy for positive systems change.
Founded in 1910, CAHS combines research and advocacy to empower and equip families to build a secure economic future. For more information visit www.cahs.org.
KIDS COUNT® is a registered trademark of the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
Jillian Gilchrest, MSW
Assistant Policy Director
Connecticut Association for Human Services
110 Bartholomew Ave, Suite 4030
Hartford, CT 06106
Jillian Gilchrest
MEDIA RELEASE
Contact: Jillian Gilchrest | 860-933-2596 | jgilc...@cahs.org
Lawmakers and Advocates Call for a Task Force to Study
Family & Medical Leave Insurance to Provide Much Needed
Relief to Connecticut Families and Businesses
For Immediate Release
Hartford—Today, the Connecticut Family & Medical Leave Insurance (FMLI) Coalition joined with legislators to support the introduction of HB 6553, An Act Establishing a Task Force to Study Family Medical Leave Insurance and the release of a new Policy Brief by the Connecticut Association for Human Services (CAHS) linking FMLI to Family Economic Security.