Karen Lamy DeSousa, Advance Heat & Air - Massachusetts

If it’s good enough for Massachusetts, why can’t it work across the United States? People should be able to take paid time away from work to welcome a new child, care for a sick loved one, or recover from an illness of their own. Thanks to the laws we’ve passed here in the Commonwealth, working people can soon do all those things. In 2018, Massachusetts passed legislation that guarantees access to paid family and medical leave beginning in 2021.

However, the rest of America may not be as lucky. There has been a lot of talk about different proposals, from universal paid family and medical leave insurance to a restrictive and exclusive parental leave bill. A strong national paid family and medical leave policy makes a difference to me as a business owner who knows that caring for people is an important part of my bottom line. Policies like this help small businesses like mine and the 20 employees I’m responsible for.