The district is wrestling with a proposal that would require employers to give their employees 16 weeks of paid family leave. As News4’s Tom Sherwood shows us, Mayor Muriel Bowser’s administration is weighing in on the plan.
A proposal to guarantee paid family leave to people who live and work in the city is too expensive, the District of Columbia's chief financial officer said.
The bill as written would provide the nation's most generous paid leave benefits to district residents. It would mandate 16 weeks of paid leave for the birth of a child, a medical condition or caring for a sick relative.
The proposal calls for a 1 percent payroll tax to pay for the benefit. Such a tax wouldn't bring in enough money, and the district can't pay for shortfalls, Chief Financial Officer Jeffrey DeWitt said in prepared remarks to the D.C. Council Thursday.
For the bill to become law, the CFO has to certify that it won't negatively affect the city's finances.
