WASHINGTON, D.C.—This week, the Congressional Dads Caucus, led by Rep. Jimmy Gomez (CA-34), officially endorsed two bills, Rep. Seth Magainzer’s (RI-02) Protected Time Off (PTO) Act and Rep. Kevin Mullin’s (CA-15) Poverty Line Act. The PTO Act would protect and expand paid time off for millions of workers. and the Poverty Line Act would recalculate the federal poverty line to reflect today’s cost of living, expanding eligibility for programs like WIC and SNAP which reduce child poverty. When put to a caucus-wide decision, both bills were endorsed for their alignment with the mission of the Dads Caucus.
“America’s working families need more support, and our Dads Caucus is fighting for paid time off and stronger social safety nets so that every child has a chance to succeed,” said Rep. Jimmy Gomez. “Our caucus proudly endorses the Protected Time Off Act to expand paid time off for millions of workers and the Poverty Line Act to update the federal poverty line and help people struggling to make ends meet. These two bills will relieve an undue stress on working parents across our country and meet them where they are today instead of where they were 40 years ago. I applaud Dads Caucus members Reps. Magaziner and Mullin on their transformative legislation.”
“Americans work hard and deserve to have paid time off so they can spend time with their families, do errands, go to doctors’ appointments, or just take a break,” said Rep. Seth Magaziner. “I’m proud to introduce the Protected Time Off (PTO) Act, which guarantees paid time off to all American workers, and I thank the Congressional Dads Caucus for endorsing this bill to help families thrive.”
“Many working families across our country earn too little to afford their basic needs like housing, food, childcare and more, yet they’re ineligible for critical safety net benefits because the federal poverty line is so out of touch with today’s reality,” said Rep. Kevin Mullin. “I appreciate the Congressional Dads Caucus for endorsing my Poverty Line Act, which would help modernize the poverty line and account for regional cost-of-living differences across America.”
The Protected Time Off (PTO) Act, introduced by Dads Caucus member Rep. Magaziner, would ensure employees who work full time receive two weeks of paid time off per year, in addition to any paid sick leave and paid family and medical leave. This legislation would positively impact one in five workers in the private sector who do not have guaranteed paid leave. This bill would also alleviate challenges faced by millions of working parents providing for their families—67% of all families with children under age 18 have both parents working.
The Poverty Line Act, introduced by Dads Caucus member Rep. Mullin, would update the way the federal poverty line (FPL) is calculated so it better reflects today’s cost of living and is adjusted for regional differences across the country. The FPL is the basis used for calculating who is eligible for safety net programs that help alleviate child poverty and would assist millions of people who make too little to make ends meet, but for whom these programs are currently out-of-reach.
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