Atlanta Journal-Constitution (01/21/15) Nathan Byrne
President Obama called for the federal government to provide states with $2.2 billion in funding for paid family-leave programs in his 2015 State of the Union address. The U.S. is the only developed Western nation without universal paid maternity leave.
“Today, we’re the only advanced country on Earth that doesn’t guarantee paid sick leave or paid maternity leave to our workers,” Obama said. “… And that forces too many parents to make the gut-wrenching choice between a paycheck and a sick kid at home.”