Steve Burns
WMAL.com

WASHINGTON – (WMAL) The D.C. Council is set to take a preliminary vote on what could end up being one of the most generous paid leave policies in the country, giving new parents up to 11 weeks of paid time off to care for a newborn. It would also give workers caring for a family member up to eight weeks off. It would be funded through a new .62 percent payroll tax on all employers.

At least one councilmember has expressed interest in tabling the bill, but Council Chairman Phil Mendelson told reporters Monday there does not appear to be enough votes to support that sentiment.

“If a member doesn’t support the bill, they should just vote against it,” he said. “The argument for tabling is that there needs to be more time. The bill has gone through three public hearings. The bill was introduced fourteen months ago.”

The final details on the bill, including the amount of weeks, the pay rate, and the tax rate, were only made public a week ago.

Other critics have focused on the fact that it stands to benefit many non-District residents who work in D.C. Mendelson said that criticism “misses the point.”

“This bill is about employers in the District,” he said. “It gives them a competitive advantage in terms of attracting and retaining employees.”

He also said economic analyses point to the District only seeing negligible job losses, which will be offset by new growth.

“This bill is a variation of a benefits program that employers typically offer to their employees,” Mendelson said. “They see that as an advantage to them.”

Mendelson is also calling for a two-year moratorium on other bills that may disproportionately affect businesses.

Some business advocates have been vocal in their skepticism of the bill. Greater Washington Board of Trade President Jim Dinegar called it “another big straw on the camel’s back.”

“We’re already beginning to see that companies are not giving the District their first look,” Dinegar told WMAL last week. “The District did their reduction of the sales tax, and then this begins to be another hike. There needs to be more consistency in the District.”

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