House Passes Trone-backed Legislation to Support Federal Workers: Bill guarantees federal workers 12 weeks of paid parental leave and “bans the box” for federal employees and contractors
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Hannah Muldavin, Hannah.Muldavin@mail.house.gov
House Passes Trone-backed Legislation to Support Federal Workers
Bill guarantees federal workers 12 weeks of paid parental leave and “bans the box” for federal employees and contractors
Washington, DC – Today, two Trone-backed provisions that would benefit federal workers passed the House of Representatives as a part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2020. The bill must pass the Senate and be signed by the President to become law.
The two provisions include 12 weeks of paid parental leave for all federal employees and the late Chairman Elijah Cummings’s Fair Chance Act, which bans the box for federal employees and contractors.
“Our federal employees work tirelessly every day to serve our country. It’s about time we give them the benefits they deserve,” said Rep. David Trone. “By providing paid parental leave and banning the box on employment applications, we bring federal benefits into the 21st century and support those who are committed to serving our country through public service.”
Trone has been a champion for both parental leave and banning the box throughout his career. Earlier this month, he sent a letter to urge the Chairs of the Armed Services Committee to include 12 weeks of family and medical benefits in the NDAA. Trone has also worked with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) for over 20 years in an effort to reform the criminal justice system. Before coming to Congress, his company banned the box on employee applications and hired over 500 returning citizens.
You can read more about the two provisions below:
- 12 weeks paid parental leave: Until now, there was no federal minimum set for offering parental leave for public employees. The NDAA brings Civilian Employee parental leave benefits more in line with what military personnel receive and could result in higher retention rates of federal employees.
- Ban the Box: The NDAA adopts Chairman Elijah Cumming’s Fair Chance Act, which prevents the federal government and federal contractors from requesting criminal history information from applicants until they reach the conditional offer stage. Trone, a champion for criminal justice reform, has previously worked with the late Chairman Elijah Cummings on banning the box for federal employees.
For a summary of the conference report, click here.
For full text of the conference report, click here.
Congressman David Trone was elected to the House of Representatives in November 2018 to serve the 6th District of Maryland, which includes all or part of Montgomery, Frederick, Washington, Allegany, and Garrett Counties. Trone serves on the Education and Labor, Foreign Affairs, and Joint Economic Committees, where he is fighting to make progress on issues that matter to Marylanders, including the opioid epidemic, criminal justice reform, and funding for medical research.
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