It's Time to Let States Lead on Paid Family Leave
Every public policy ultimately asks one question: Who should solve the problem?
As president of the Christian Employers Alliance and founder of the Biblical Business Index, I spend my days evaluating legislation through the lens of biblical principles and their impact on employers, employees, families, and the free market.
When it comes to paid family leave, Washington has too often reached for the same answer: another federal mandate.
This week, a bipartisan group of senators is offering a better approach. The More Paid Leave for More Americans Act, introduced by Sens. John Boozman and Kirsten Gillibrand, creates no new federal entitlement, raises no payroll tax, and imposes no nationwide paid leave mandate.
Instead, it gives states the opportunity to build paid-leave programs that fit their own economies, work forces, and values.
That is exactly where this conversation belongs.
At the Christian Employers Alliance, we represent thousands of employers who take seriously their responsibility to care for the people who work for them.
Our members believe caring for employees is not simply good business. It is a biblical responsibility.
Most employers want to offer paid family leave. The obstacle is rarely compassion — it is arithmetic.
A company with 10,000 employees can absorb the cost of a worker taking 12 weeks of leave after the birth of a child. A company with 12 employees often cannot. That is why paid leave has quietly become a privilege of working for the largest employers.
Roughly 37 percent of workers at the nation’s largest companies have access to paid family leave, compared to only 19 percent at the smallest businesses. For many lower-income workers, access is virtually nonexistent.
Small employers should not be forced to choose between caring for their employees and keeping their doors open.
Rather than creating another Washington-run entitlement, this legislation helps states establish paid leave insurance pools that allow smaller employers to participate in affordable programs.
By spreading risk across a larger population, a neighborhood hardware store, family-owned restaurant, or local manufacturer can begin offering benefits that previously only large corporations could afford.
Just as importantly, the legislation respects federalism.
States are better positioned than Washington to understand their labor markets, insurance systems, and business communities. What works in Arkansas may not work in California, and what succeeds in Vermont may not fit Texas.
This bill respects those differences instead of imposing another one-size-fits-all solution.
The grants are temporary and designed to help states build programs that become financially self-sustaining rather than permanently dependent on Washington.
That reflects a principle conservatives have long championed. Government can help remove barriers without becoming the permanent manager of every workplace benefit.
There is also a moral case for this legislation.
A nation that values families should make it easier, not harder, to welcome a newborn, recover from childbirth, or care for an aging parent.
We can support families without giving Washington another permanent role in the workplace. States, employers, churches, and local communities are fully capable of leading the way.
At the Christian Employers Alliance, we believe employers should be encouraged, not compelled, to care well for their employees. Good public policy expands opportunity without sacrificing freedom.
Some conservatives may instinctively distrust any proposal involving paid family leave. That skepticism is understandable. But the fact that Senator John Boozman, one of the Senate’s most respected fiscal conservatives, is leading this effort should give them pause.
This is not another entitlement program. It is an effort to prevent one.
Rep. Stephanie Bice, who introduced the House companion legislation, understands the same principle. If conservatives want to preserve a market-based approach to paid leave, they should help shape solutions now, rather than waiting for Washington to impose one later.
Paid family leave is coming to America. The real question is whether it will arrive through another Washington mandate or through state-led innovation that empowers employers and strengthens families.
Conservatives have long argued that the best solutions are found closest to the people they serve. This legislation puts that principle into practice. It trusts states over Washington, innovation over bureaucracy, and partnership over mandates.
Families deserve support. Employers deserve flexibility. States deserve the freedom to lead.
The views expressed in this opinion article are those of their author and are not necessarily either shared or endorsed by the owners of this website. If you are interested in contributing an Op-Ed to The Western Journal, you can learn about our submission guidelines and process here.
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