On the heels of Congress securing a win for active-duty military parents by expanding their parental leave, a bipartisan pair of senators wants National Guardsmen and reservists to have comparable benefits.
Under the Reserve Component Parental Leave Parity Act, the text of which was obtained by Military.com ahead of its release, Guardsmen and reservists on drill status who are non-birthing parents, adoptive parents or foster parents would get parental leave — not just birth mothers, as is the case right now.
“Parental leave should be available to all new parents, and service members in the reserves and the National Guard should have the same access to parental leave as those serving on active duty,” Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., said in a statement. “I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill and help to ensure that all service members are given the opportunity to bond with their children.”
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Hassan is sponsoring the bill with Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska. The bill was quietly introduced last week but has not yet been publicized or previously reported.
The bill comes after the Pentagon and military services earlier this year rolled out an expanded parental leave policy that was mandated by Congress. Under the new policy, new mothers and fathers on active duty, including adoptive and foster parents,…
