Wall Street Journal (01/14/15) Byron Tau

At an event in Baltimore today, President Obama is expected to reiterate his call to Congress for family-friendly workplace policies, including mandatory paid sick leave, and encourage cities and states to take action if federal lawmakers do not. The president will push for Congress to vote on the Healthy Families Act, which would require many employers to give employees up to seven days of paid sick leave per year, and sign a binding presidential memorandum stating that all federal workers can take six weeks of leave after the birth of a child.

However, observers do not expect the Republican-controlled Congress to take up these proposals in the near future. Still, the White House will propose over $2 billion in spending in the 2016 budget to prompt states to establish paid family and medical-leave programs.