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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2013 - 2014
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | February 14, 2014 11:21 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Dan L. Miller |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Redraft: Parental Involvement Leave Act |
| Dear colleagues, Due to recently discovered drafting errors I will be re-introducing this bill (currently HB 1673) under a new bill number. I sincerely appreciate the support it has received thus far and hope you will sign on to the new draft. -Dan Current co-sponsors: Brownlee, Youngblood, Caltagirone, Kotik, Kim, Briggs, Sims, Frankel, Kirkland, Molchany, Deasy, Schreiber, Gainey, Painter, Bishop, Rozzi, Davidson, Thomas, V. Brown and O'Brien I will soon be introducing legislation that requires employers to allow parents paid time off of work to attend academic-related activities for their children, if such meeting could not otherwise be scheduled during non-work time. This legislation recognizes the important role parents play in student success, the demands of our economy where parents often need to work multiple jobs to make ends meet, as well as the unique demands on parents with children with special needs in being an active participant in their child’s individualized education program. Under this legislation, employers will be required to provide eligible employees with eight hours paid parental leave per school year to attend parent-teacher conferences or similar academic-focused activities related to their children. Additionally, employers will be required to provide twelve hours paid parental leave per school year related to the development of necessary special education plans for their children. According to the U.S. Department of Education, students with parents who are actively involved in their education have better grades, exhibit better test scores and show improved academic achievement over the long-term. Parental involvement has also been positively linked to higher attendance rates and lower rates of suspension. The importance of parental involvement in developing and understanding IEPs, IFSPs, and service plans and how they are linked to the likely success of their children cannot be overstated. The value to the Commonwealth in developing and graduating young adults prepared to independently compete in the economy is clear and significant. Making it easier for parents to participate in such activities is both a step in the right direction and a recognition of the difficulty facing most middle class families. Because I believe that this legislation will help to improve the academic outcomes of our young people in the Commonwealth, I ask you to join me in co-sponsoring this important legislation. |
Introduced as HB2055