President's Actions on Paid Family Leave A Step in the Right Direction for Entrepreneurs
Statement by John Arensmeyer, Founder & CEO of Small Business Majority, on a memorandum signed by the president today directing federal agencies to offer six weeks of paid family leave
The president signed a memorandum today directing federal agencies to offer up to six weeks of paid leave for parents with a new child—something our nation's small businesses strongly support. What's more, the president proposed funding to help states and municipalities conduct feasibility studies on how to implement paid leave programs.
Small Business Majority's scientific opinion polling found that small business owners strongly support paid leave policies. In fact, nearly six in 10 support publicly-administered family medical leave insurance pools funded by modest contributions from employees. Additionally, more than two-thirds of small business owners have a formal or informal policy in place when it comes to family medical leave, some of which offer paid leave.
Small business owners believe offering policies like these help attract and retain talented employees and create happier workplaces, which is also good for their bottom lines. We hope Congress will approve the proposed funding to help states implement paid leave programs so small business owners can help their employees afford to take leave when they need it.
About Small Business Majority
Small Business Majority is a national small business advocacy organization, founded and run by small business owners to focus on solving the biggest problems facing America's 28 million small businesses today. Since 2005, we have actively engaged small business owners and policymakers in support of public policy solutions, and have delivered information and resources to entrepreneurs that promote small business growth and drive a strong, sustainable economy. We are a team of more than 30 working from our 11 offices in Washington, D.C. and 9 states, with a network of more than 45,000 small business owners and more than 2,000 business organizations, along with a formal strategic partnership program of more than 125 business organizations, enabling us to reach more than 500,000 entrepreneurs. Our extensive scientific polling, focus groups and economic research help us educate and inform policymakers, the media and other stakeholders about issues including taxes, healthcare, access to capital, entrepreneurship, workforce development, clean energy and immigration. Learn more about us on our website and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.