12/5/22, 1:54 PM Hallandale now Broward first to approve paid parental leave

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HALLANDALE BEACH NEWS

Paid parental leave catches on in South Florida. ‘We have to evolve as a

workforce.’
By Lisa J. Huriash
South Florida Sun-Sentinel • Nov 01, 2021 at 7:00 am

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HALLANDALE BEACH — Supporters of paid parental leave have a new source of hope to point toward: More cities and
counties across South Florida are embracing the leave policy for their employees. Privacy - Terms

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12/5/22, 1:54 PM Hallandale now Broward first to approve paid parental leave

The latest employer to join the ranks is Hallandale Beach, which recently became Broward County’s first city to approve
paid parental leave for its workforce. And Fort Lauderdale may be among the next to join.

“As we’ve seen through this pandemic, cities are the frontlines of crafting policy to help people,” said City Commissioner
Sabrina Javellana, who proposed that all parents get 12 paid weeks of pay for the birth, foster placement, or adoption of
a child.

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Javellana said cities such as Hallandale Beach are stepping up where higher government has failed. “We can be real
leaders on paid family leave in the absence of a federal and state policy,” she said.

Among the few other cities or counties in Florida to offer paid parental leave: Broward County, Wellington, Coral Gables
and Miami Beach.

President Joe Biden had proposed 12 weeks of paid leave as part of a bill that would outline a 10-year spending plan for
expanding education, health care and child care support.

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But the paid family leave provision — along with an effort to lower prescription drug pricing — is expected to be slashed
from the package or possibly scaled down to four weeks instead as negotiations continue.

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The United States currently has no federal paid family or sick leave benefit, an anomaly among developed countries.
New parents are allowed time off under the Family Medical Leave Act for up to 12 weeks following the birth, adoption, or
fostering of a child, but it’s unpaid leave.

In Germany, which has one of the most generous benefits, mothers receive their full pay for 14 weeks and then another
44 weeks of partial pay, CNN reported. In addition to the United States, the only other countries with no paid maternity
leave are the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Suriname and Tonga, according to The
New York Times.

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But Javellana said a few other local cities have expressed interest to her as well and she hopes “for it to have a snowball
effect for the betterment of our communities.”

On that short list is Fort Lauderdale, where Commissioner Steve Glassman has already made a request from the city staff
to get details. “We’re very serious about that because I think we have to set the tone, set the bar, set the example, for
others to follow,” he said.

Javellana said she hopes the new plan will attract and retain talent, especially those who might consider leaving for the
private sector. “It makes us more competitive,” she said.

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12/5/22, 1:54 PM Hallandale now Broward first to approve paid parental leave

There won’t be any additional cost because the salaries are already budgeted, but colleagues would have to help pick up
the slack temporarily. And that doesn’t start to address the moral issues, she said, when mothers return too early
because they can’t afford to not have an income.

“We’re seeing all these studies how we are behind the rest of the developed world,” she said. “We have to evolve as a
workforce.”

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