Dear Neighbors,
This week the House passed several major pieces of legislation including the Women’s Economic Security Act. We passed the bill with a large bipartisan majority on Wednesday afternoon.
We know that when women in Minnesota succeed, we all succeed. This bipartisan effort is a major milestone toward signing into law new measures to close the gender pay gap, strengthen workplace protections and flexibility for pregnant mothers and expand employment opportunities for women in high-wage, high-demand professions.
I was chief author of a provision to expand economic protections for victims of stalking and sexual assault.
Some other highlights of the Women’s Economic Security Act include:
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Expanding unpaid family leave for caretakers and expanding unpaid maternity leave
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Expanding access to high-quality, affordable childcare by removing caps on early learning scholarships
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Decreasing the gender pay gap through the participation of women in high-wage, high-demand nontraditional work
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Eliminating the “motherhood penalty” for workers who have family caregiver status
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Allowing employees to use existing earned sick leave to deal with sexual assault, domestic violence, or stalking
Please contact me anytime by phone (651-296-7803) or email (rep.paul.rosenthal@house.mn). I appreciate hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Paul Rosenthal
State Representative