House Approves Paid Parental Leave For Federal Workers

Federal workers could gain 12 weeks of paid parental leave as part of the annual defense authorization bill the House approved Wednesday.

The Federal Employee Paid Leave Act came as a provision to that bill. Democrats negotiated its inclusion in exchange for their acceptance of language that would create a space force branch in the military.

Democratic aides told The Washington Post that paid parental leave for federal workers would cost about $3 billion dollars over the course of five to 10 years. It would impact federal workers with newborns, newly adopted children or foster children.

The bill is headed to the Senate, where it's expected to pass with ease before heading to the president's desk to become law.