Opening Statement of Councilmember David Grosso

Committee on Labor and Workforce Development Public Oversight Roundtable

on Implementation of Law 21-264, The Universal Paid Leave Amendment Act of
2016 and PR23-647, Rulemaking for Paid Family Leave Benefits Approval
Resolution of 2020
January 30, 2020

Thank you, Chairperson Silverman, for holding this important oversight hearing on the
implementation and regulations of the Universal Paid Leave Act of 2016. You’ve been a strong
partner on this issue for the last five years, and I know your leadership will ensure that we have
a strong program for the workers of the District of Columbia.

Four years ago, the Council passed Universal Paid Leave, and voted to provide financial
stability to the workers of the District of Columbia, relieving them of a difficult choice between
a paycheck and caring for a loved one or themselves.

Through UPLA, workers are eligible to receive up to 90% of their wages in the event that they
need to utilize leave to care for a new child, an ailing loved one, or even themselves.

This is a bill that is also good for business, as it provides a competitive advantage for attracting
and retaining highly qualified employees with a progressive benefit at a fraction of the cost of
providing it themselves.

Today, the Paid Family Leave implementation team has more than six dozen employees,
we’ve collected more than 144 million dollars to build the trust fund, and 37 pages of
regulations that have been informed by twelve hundred comments from over 400 individuals.

I have to say that in my final year in office, I’m proud of what we have achieved through the
passage of the Universal Paid Leave Act, the safety net we’ve been able to build for the
workers of the District of Columbia, and the leadership we are exhibiting through the
implementation of this incredibly progressive policy.

I do have some questions regarding the proposed final regulations, and most of my questions
today will be about those regulations and their potential impact on District workers.

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