Legislators, advocates call for Family Care Act passage
H.B. 200 would create family and medical leave insurance program in PA
Southeast Delegation March 17, 2026 | 3:21 PM
MEDIA, March 17 — State Reps. Jennifer O’Mara, Lisa Borowski, and Napoleon Nelson were joined by child and family advocates this week at a news conference to urge the passage of bipartisan legislation to create a family and medical leave insurance program in Pennsylvania.
House Bill 200, dubbed The Family Care Act, would support working families by ensuring they never have to choose between their job and their family’s well-being after the birth of a child or during a serious illness. It would also strengthen small businesses that cannot currently offer this benefit to their employees.
“Every family deserves that benefit without worrying if they’re going to get paid,” O’Mara, D-Delaware, said. “We’re all going to be put in that position, whether we’re taking care of ourselves, our children, or our family, and it’s time that we as lawmakers step up for the people of Pennsylvania.”
New Jersey now offers 12 weeks of paid leave, Delaware has launched a paid leave program, and Maryland recently passed similar legislation. They are among 14 states and the District of Columbia to have similar legislation in place.
Borowski, D-Delaware, said it’s also difficult for many people to care for aging parents with health issues when they don’t have paid family leave.
“So paid family leave is not just about maternity,” Borowski said. “It’s not just about new babies, which is definitely one of the most important things, but as our communities age, as our parents age, as our loved ones are aging, we see it now on the back end.”
Nelson, D-Montgomery, said family leave is an issue that “really hits home” for people struggling with affordability and the difficult decision to care for an ailing relative or go to work.
“Whether it’s here in Delaware County, in Montgomery County, or in Carbon County, we have Pennsylvanians who are wrestling with that decision,” Nelson said. “And they don’t have to. They shouldn’t have to.”
O’Mara noted that H.B. 200 has bipartisan and bicameral support in the General Assembly. It has 88 co-sponsors in the House and the support of more than 60% of senators.
The legislators were joined at a news conference Monday by advocates such as Dan O’Brien, policy director of family economic stability at Children First and co-chair of the PA Family Care Coalition; Daina Tate, a doula and maternal workforce advocate; and Michael Kellerman, president of The Foundation for Delaware County.
O’Brien said 4 million Pennsylvanians don’t have paid leave, and 81% of Pennsylvanians believe a statewide paid leave program should be enacted.
“You can’t find another issue that 81% of people involved in politics agree on,” O’Brien said. “There is not a single piece of legislation in Harrisburg that has more co-sponsors than the Family Care Act in both the House and the Senate. There is zero reason why this cannot be run today.”
The bill cleared the House Labor and Industry Committee last year and is currently pending before the full House.
Monday’s press conference at the Delaware County Government Center was part of a statewide call to action this week for passage of the Family Care Act. A similar event was held Tuesday in western Pennsylvania.
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