Everyone needs paid leave and its past time to start putting this policy in place. It’s time for the federal government to become a model employer by offering their workforce paid parental leave, and to pave the way for the rest of the nation to follow. Currently, federal workers don’t have any guarantee of paid leave for the birth or adoption of a child. Some have accrued paid sick or vacation time that they may be able to use while on unpaid FMLA leave. However, others, especially younger workers who haven’t accrued sick or vacation time, have no choice but to take unpaid leave. If passed, the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act guarantees qualifying federal workers four weeks of paid parental leave for the birth or adoption of a new child. It would also enable federal workers to use up to eight weeks of accrued paid sick time immediately following the first four weeks of parental leave.