Rep. Cunningham to Bring Federal Worker to State of the Union; Highlight the Importance of Parental Leave

Mt. Pleasant, S.C. – Today, Rep. Joe Cunningham (SC-01) announced he was bringing Alison Martin, a pharmacist at the Ralph Johnson VA Medical Center, as his State of the Union guest. Like many Americans, Alison had to use paid time off (PTO) and sick leave that had been accrued for years for maternity leave. When she came back to work, she was left with very little sick leave to use for illnesses, doctors’ appointments, child care issues, and family emergencies. Alison is currently pregnant with her second child and will have to take leave without pay for her second maternity leave.

“Guaranteeing access to paid parental leave isn’t just good policy, it’s personal. The birth of my son was one of the most joyous times in my life – and every parent deserves the chance to spend time with their newborn without being forced to forgo a paycheck or worry about making ends meet. Ensuring working families like Alison’s have the resources, flexibility, and support they need to care for their children isn’t a Democratic or Republican value, it’s an American one. I’m proud we were able to work across the aisle to ensure federal workers will have twelve weeks of guaranteed paid leave and I won’t stop advocating for commonsense policies that help Lowcountry families.”

“I am honored to be joining Representative Joe Cunningham at the State of the Union on Tuesday. As the mother to a young child, currently pregnant with my second, I appreciate that Rep. Cunningham is a fighter for paid family leave,” said Alison Martin.

In December of last year, Cunningham voted to pass the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) conference report that includes twelve weeks of guaranteed paid parental leave for federal workers. It was signed into law by President Trump and will go into effect October 2020.

Cunningham helped introduce bipartisan and bicameral legislation that provides resources to help new parents pay for leave and cover the cost of day care, baby supplies and other expenses associated with a new child, without raising taxes or creating new employer mandates. In December, he participated in the White  House Child Care and Paid Leave Summit.