Pennsylvania L&I Awarded $250,000 to Study Paid Family Leave

HARRISBURG, Pa., Aug. 9, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- This week, the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) was awarded $250,000 from the U.S. Department of Labor's (USDOL) Women's Bureau (WB) to study paid family leave models and programs.

"We are thrilled to receive this grant from the USDOL's Women's Bureau," said Department of Labor & Industry Secretary Kathy Manderino. "We estimate that nearly 2.9 million Pennsylvanians would benefit from a paid family leave program. These statistics include new mothers, and fathers, and a portion of individuals who indicate that they are out of the labor force due to taking care of a loved one." 

L&I was awarded this grant, which will be administered by L&I"s Center for Workforce Information & Analysis, after proposing to work with the Wolf administration, and policy, legal and community-based organizations, to develop research and analysis on how paid family leave (PFL) programs can be implemented in Pennsylvania. 

"Many of our working residents are tasked with either the care of young children or aging parents," said Secretary Manderino. "Forcing these adults to make a choice between caring for a seriously ill loved one or losing their paycheck, and possibly their job, is unconscionable. It is a moral imperative that we explore options to provide reasonable paid family leave to hard working Pennsylvanians."

Today, the USDOL's Women's Bureau, which works to create innovative policies and programs to raise awareness and address key issues affecting women in the workforce, announced the award of $1.1 million in grants for the research and analysis of how PFL programs can be developed and implemented across the country.

Funds from this grant will also be used to determine options for implementing paid family and medical leave in Pennsylvania, including analysis to determine the populations that would benefit from PFL programs. 

MEDIA CONTACT: Sara Goulet, 717-787-7530

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry

Related Links

http://www.state.pa.us