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Legislative bills

Servicemember Parental Leave Equity Act Seeks to Modernize Military Parental Leave Policies

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

The Servicemember Parental Leave Equity Act, introduced by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, aims to significantly expand parental leave for military servicemembers and make other improvements for new parents serving in the armed forces. The bill would increase caregiver leave to 12 weeks, up from as low as 2 weeks for secondary caregivers in the Navy and Marine Corps, and allow primary and secondary caregiver leave to be used in the case of a long-term placement of a foster child. The legislation would also provide paid leave for secondary caregivers in case of miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant death, and allow servicemembers to take caregiver leave in multiple increments.

The Servicemember Parental Leave Equity Act would also expand the 12-month postpartum deferment from deployment to include overnight travel, physically demanding training exercises, body composition standards, and the physical fitness test. The bill has 31 original cosponsors and is endorsed by several organizations, including the National Military Family Association, Mom2Mom Global, Breastfeeding in Combat Boots, and MomsRising.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Servicemember Parental Leave Equity Act would increase caregiver leave to 12 weeks for military servicemembers, up from as low as 2 weeks for secondary caregivers in the Navy and Marine Corps.
  • The bill would allow primary and secondary caregiver leave to be used in the case of a long-term placement of a foster child.
  • Paid leave would be provided for secondary caregivers in case of miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant death.
  • Servicemembers would be able to take caregiver leave in multiple increments.
  • The 12-month postpartum deferment from deployment would be expanded to include overnight travel, physically demanding training exercises, body composition standards, and the physical fitness test.
  • The bill would require the services to annul a report to Congress on the usage of military parental leave by primary and secondary caregivers, an analysis of the impact of the usage of parental leave on readiness, an analysis of the impact of the parental leave benefit on retention, and the number of waivers granted to the 12-month postpartum deferment policies.
  • The Career Intermission Program (CIP) payback period would be modified so that servicemembers who participate in the CIP would agree to an additional 1 month service commitment for every month of participation in the CIP.

Statistics:

  • 31 original cosponsors for the Servicemember Parental Leave Equity Act.
  • 12 weeks of primary caregiver leave proposed under the bill, up from 6 weeks under current law.
  • 12 weeks of secondary caregiver leave proposed under the bill, up from 2 or 3 weeks under current law.
  • 1 year for the services to implement the 12 weeks of primary and secondary caregiver leave.
  • 5 years for the services to implement the 12 weeks of secondary caregiver leave.
  • 6 months for the services to implement the option to take primary caregiver leave and secondary caregiver leave in more than one increment.

Sources:

  • United States House of Representatives -- Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (12th District of New York)
  • National Military Family Association (NMFA)
  • Mom2Mom Global and Breastfeeding in Combat Boots
  • MomsRising

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