Jan. 13, 2014-Addressing the
"Social Mobility Summit" at The Brookings Institution, Sen. Kirsten
Gillibrand highlighted five points she believes will improve upward
mobility for Americans, particularly among women. First,
Gillibrand advocated
for the Family and Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act, legislation
she recently introduced to provide for paid family and medical leave,
for example to help care for an new baby or an ailing parent.
Gillibrand said her proposal, based on successful state models, is a
self-funded, earned benefit that would cost about as much as a cup of
coffee a week. Secondly, Gillibrand called for raising the
minimum wage; a bill in the Senate would raise the minimum wage from
the current $7.25 per hour to $10.10 per hour. Gillibrand said
this would help 33 million Americans and would also be good for
business. Third, Gillibrand said, there is a need for affordable
child care. Fourth, she called for universal pre-kindergarten
education. A fifth key is equal pay for equal work, which
Gillibrand said would be "a huge economic engine." |