{
  "family": "common-ground",
  "checked": "2026-10-09",
  "scope": "A selected pilot, not an exhaustive policy platform. Survey findings describe the sampled population and the stated question, not all Americans or every version of a proposal.",
  "id": "paid-family-leave",
  "metaTitle": "Paid family leave: support & bill status | America.co",
  "title": "Do Americans agree on national paid family and medical leave?",
  "description": "Separate support for a specified paid-leave proposal from today’s FMLA protections, state programs, and the current FAMILY Act bill.",
  "answer": "This dated survey found majority support across parties for a specified paid-leave design. H.R. 5390, the FAMILY Act, was still at House Ways and Means referral in the official record checked October 9, 2026. Current FMLA protections and state paid-leave programs are separate from that proposal.",
  "category": "Family and work",
  "poll": {
    "label": "PPC national Q12",
    "period": "2026-02-11 / 2026-02-26",
    "population": "U.S. adults; weighted opt-in panels; total n=2,509; four-fifths modules n=1,991–2,020 (question-specific n unreported).",
    "questionSummary": "Twelve-week paid leave; specified benefits and payroll funding.",
    "national": 75,
    "republican": 68,
    "democrat": 84,
    "independent": 71,
    "sourceUrl": "https://publicconsultation.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Common-Ground-National-Questionnaire-2026.pdf#page=4"
  },
  "facts": [
    {
      "label": "Related proposal",
      "value": "H.R. 5390, FAMILY Act",
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5390"
    },
    {
      "label": "Latest recorded action",
      "value": "September 16, 2025: referred to House Ways and Means",
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/119/hr/BILLSTATUS-119hr5390.xml"
    },
    {
      "label": "Current federal baseline",
      "value": "FMLA provides eligible workers unpaid, job-protected leave",
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fmla"
    }
  ],
  "sections": [
    {
      "heading": "Three different questions",
      "paragraphs": [
        "Can someone keep their job while away? Will they receive income? Who qualifies? Treat each as a separate question. A promise of leave without wage replacement is different from a paid benefit without equivalent job protection."
      ],
      "sourceUrls": []
    },
    {
      "heading": "The poll is not a vote on the new bill",
      "paragraphs": [
        "The tested proposal specifies twelve weeks, partial replacement capped at $4,000 per month, and 0.2% contributions from employers and employees. H.R. 5390 has its own eligibility, benefit and financing text. Compare those provisions; do not apply the poll percentage to the full bill."
      ],
      "sourceUrls": [
        "https://publicconsultation.org/common-ground/large-bipartisan-majorities-in-the-battlegrounds-favor-more-federal-support-for-childcare-universal-preschool-paid-family-leave-and-higher-child-tax-credit/",
        "https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-119hr5390ih/html/BILLS-119hr5390ih.htm"
      ]
    },
    {
      "heading": "For someone who needs leave now",
      "paragraphs": [
        "The Department of Labor explains FMLA coverage and eligibility. It also directs people to their state labor department for additional protections. An introduced federal bill is not a benefits application or a guarantee that an individual qualifies."
      ],
      "sourceUrls": [
        "https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fmla"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "steps": [
    "Check existing employer and state benefits first.",
    "Use the Department of Labor eligibility guidance for FMLA.",
    "Compare the proposal’s replacement rate, cap, contribution and job-protection rules."
  ],
  "caution": "This record is not individual employment advice. The tested financing design and the latest FAMILY Act text are not presumed identical.",
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "PPC family-policy polling release",
      "url": "https://publicconsultation.org/common-ground/large-bipartisan-majorities-in-the-battlegrounds-favor-more-federal-support-for-childcare-universal-preschool-paid-family-leave-and-higher-child-tax-credit/",
      "asOf": "2026-10-09"
    },
    {
      "title": "PPC questionnaire, Q12",
      "url": "https://publicconsultation.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Common-Ground-National-Questionnaire-2026.pdf",
      "asOf": "2026-10-09"
    },
    {
      "title": "Official H.R. 5390 action record",
      "url": "https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/119/hr/BILLSTATUS-119hr5390.xml",
      "asOf": "2026-10-09"
    },
    {
      "title": "H.R. 5390 introduced text",
      "url": "https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-119hr5390ih/html/BILLS-119hr5390ih.htm",
      "asOf": "2026-10-09"
    },
    {
      "title": "Department of Labor FMLA guidance",
      "url": "https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fmla",
      "asOf": "2026-10-09"
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    {
      "label": "How to track congressional votes",
      "url": "/learn/how-to-track-congressional-votes"
    },
    {
      "label": "Public resource desk",
      "url": "/resources"
    },
    {
      "label": "Child-care cost evidence",
      "url": "/common-ground/childcare-cost-cap"
    }
  ],
  "faq": [
    [
      "Is FMLA already a national paid-leave program?",
      "FMLA provides eligible workers unpaid, job-protected leave. Other employer and state benefits can be different."
    ],
    [
      "Can I apply for benefits under H.R. 5390 now?",
      "This record shows a proposed bill, not an enacted benefits program. Check current employer and government programs instead."
    ]
  ],
  "route": "/common-ground/paid-family-leave",
  "file": "common-ground/paid-family-leave.html"
}