Research Library

Quality Care for Moms and Babies Act

The Quality Care for Moms and Babies Act (S. 425/H.R. 896), introduced by Senators Debbie Stabenow (D – Mich.) and Chuck Grassley (R – Iowa), and Congressman Eliot Engel (D – N.Y.), would improve the quality of maternity care for mothers and babies by ensuring that maternity care providers have the needed tools to guarantee that women have access to services that optimize outcomes for both mothers and newborns.

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Meeting on Employer Wellness Programs: Testimony of Judith L. Lichtman, Senior Advisor, 5/8/2013

Chair Berrien and Commissioners, my name is Judith Lichtman, and I am Senior Advisor for the National Partnership for Women & Families. We are pleased that the Commission has convened this public meeting and appreciate the opportunity to offer recommendations to promote nondiscrimination in employer wellness programs.

Audio press conference on H.R. 1406, May 6, 2013

Coalition Letter to the U.S. House of Representatives in Opposition to H.R. 1406

North Carolina Justice Center & the Working Families Flexibility Act, H.R. 1406

I am writing to voice the North Carolina Justice Center’s concerns about the Working Families Flexibility Act (H.R. 1406), which allows employers to offer comp time instead of time-and-a-half pay to hourly, non-supervisory workers who work over 40 hours per week.

Written Testimony of Judith L. Lichtman, National Partnership Senior Advisor, on H.R.1406, the Working Families Flexibility Act

Submitted to the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Workforce Protections Hearing on H.R. 1406, the Working Families Flexibility Act

Communications Workers of America Oppose H.R. 1406

On behalf of the 700,000 officers and members of the Communications Workers of America (CWA), I would like to bring two bills to your attention. Both bills purport to help working families with their health and financial needs. One, The Working Families Flexibility Act, fails miserably. The other, The Healthy Families Act, goes a long way towards supporting families in a meaningful way.

The Misnamed Working Families Flexibility Act: 9 Key Flaws and A Better Solution

The Working Families Flexibility Act, to be introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives the week of April 8, 2013 by Martha Roby (R-AL), claims to give working men and women in hourly jobs more time with their families by allowing them, through an agreement with their employer, to choose paid time off as compensation for working more than 40 hours in one week (“comp time”). This proposal is one of the centerpieces of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s “make life work” agenda.

Alabama Women and the Wage Gap

FACT SHEET | Women in Alabama are paid 74 cents for every dollar paid to men, amounting to a yearly gap of $11,089 between men and women who work full time in the state.

An Empty Promise: The Working Families Flexibility Act Would Give Workers Less Flexibility and Less Pay

Despite its name, the Cantor/Roby Working Families Flexibility Act of 2013 sets up a dangerous false choice between time and money, when working families really need both. The bill does not promote family friendly or flexible workplaces. Instead, it would erode hourly workers’ ability to make ends meet, plan for family time and have predictability, stability and true flexibility at work.

Women of Color Need a Paid Sick Days Standard

Every day, millions of workers in the United States are forced to jeopardize their wages and their jobs when they become sick or need to care for a sick child or loved one. For women – and particularly for women of color – the inability to earn paid sick days can have devastating consequences.

Paid Sick Days Lead to Cost Savings for All

FACT SHEET | A fact sheet on how paid sick days lead to reduced government spending, savings for employers, economic security for families and a stronger economy.

Top Ten Consumer Benefits of Health Information Technology

The Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program (e.g. “Meaningful Use”) is an essential catalyst for improving the quality, safety and efficiency of care. Patients and families have already begun to experience early benefits, which will grow exponentially in coming years.

National Partnership VP Christine Bechtel Testimony on Meaningful Use for Energy & Commerce Subcommittee

Good afternoon Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Pallone and distinguished committee members... I am honored to be asked to speak with you today about how the Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program (commonly known as “Meaningful Use”) is not only catalyzing a fundamental change in the health care system, but is serving as a springboard for innovation.

Hearing: Health Information Technologies: How Innovation Benefits Patients

U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Energy and Commerce, Health Subcommittee Statement for the Record, Christine Bechtel, Vice President, National Partnership for Women & Families, and Member, Health IT Policy Committee. March 20, 2013.

National Women's Health Organizations Coalition Letter to U.S. Senate and House Committees on Appropriations

As national organizations committed to women’s health, we are writing in response to ongoing efforts by opponents of women’s health to undermine the contraceptive coverage provision in the Affordable Care Act. As you work to craft a measure to fund the federal government past March 27 and through fiscal year 2013, we stand in opposition to any language that will weaken the Affordable Care Act’s contraceptive coverage provision in any continuing resolution or omnibus appropriations measure.

Sherfel v. Newson Issue Brief

Wisconsin workers should be able to exercise their rights to paid leave under the Wisconsin Family and Medical Leave Act. But does the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act nullify a provision of Wisconsin’s Family and Medical Leave Act that permits workers to substitute employer-provided paid leave for unpaid leave?

Amicus Brief: Sherfel v. Gassman

Brief Amici Curiae of National Partnership for Women & Families, Legal Aid Society-Employment Law Center, Legal Momentum, National Women’s Law Center and Service Employees International Union in Support of Defendants-Appellants’ Argument for Reversal.

Updating the Family and Medical Leave Act

FACT SHEET | An assessment of the historic Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) that includes an explanation of the law and reasons and opportunities for amending it.

The Family and Medical Leave Act at 20: 100 Million Reasons to Celebrate and Move Forward

2013 is the 20th anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) – the first and only national law that enables workers to care for themselves and their loved ones without jeopardizing their jobs or economic security. This historic law has had a tremendous impact on America’s families, and it serves as a reminder of what can be accomplished when lawmakers work together to address the nation’s needs. Now, 20 years later, it is time to advance the FMLA’s promise of a family friendly America.