Senate proposes 3 weeks of paternity leave

[unhappycamper]

Senate proposes 3 weeks of paternity leave
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Sunday Jun 15, 2008 9:19:59 EDT

In what would be a major leap forward in family-friendly benefits, the Senate Armed Services Committee proposes giving up to 21 days of postnatal leave to fathers.

The paternity leave would be in addition to other earned leave under the proposal approved by the committee as part of its version of the 2009 defense authorization bill.

Parental leave would be limited to a husband whose wife had given birth, which would exclude unmarried couples.

Like all other military leave, time off could be granted only with permission of superiors, who could refuse or set limits on how many days could be taken. Parental leave for a father could not be stored up for later use; it would be authorized to be taken only “in connection with the birth of a child,” although the proposal does not cite a specific timeframe.

Although parental leave for fathers, paid and unpaid, is common in the private sector and for federal, state and local government workers, most service members are limited to using annual leave to take time off after the birth of a child.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/06/airforce_dadleave_061508/