The proposed Family Care Act

What to look for on Smart Talk, Tuesday, June 11, 2019:

When you or a loved one is diagnosed with a serious illness, taking time off from work for treatment can be costly, or even impossible. Families can risk financial hardship when faced with long-term treatments or even for routine medical events like the birth of a baby.

To help mitigate this problem there is proposed legislation that would allow workers access to paid family and medical leave. Called the Family Care Act, the legislation would establish a statewide family and medical leave insurance program.

All working individuals would make small contributions from their weekly earnings to the leave program, which would be administered by the Department of Labor & Industry. Leave benefits would be calculated on a graduated scale to make the program accessible to all workers, regardless of income.

Joining us on Smart Talk to discuss the Family Care Act legislation are sponsors Sen. Dan Laughlin, R-Erie, and Sen. Maria Collett, D-Bucks and Motgomery, along with Karen Showalter, senior campaign director for MomsRising.com’s Food Justice Team and the Pennsylvania State Moms Task Force.

From left to right: Sen. Maria Collett, Karen Showalter, and Sen. Dan Laughlin.