Resolved, That the 80th General Convention recognizes the critical importance of the adoption by The Episcopal Church (the “Church”) of a uniform paid family leave policy across the Church, and that this is a justice issue which we are obligated as Christians to address without further delay, and that from the beginning, said policy should provide for parity between lay and clergy employees; and be it further

Resolved, That the 80th General Convention recognizes the difficulties that currently exist with the implementation of a paid family leave policy, given that there is currently no commercial insurance offering available, and therefore, urges all dioceses of the Church to adopt the proposed policy as soon as practicable, in order to be prepared to implement the policy as soon as a commercial insurance offering becomes available, whether through Church Pension Group or other avenues; and be it further

Resolved, That the 80th General Convention urges all dioceses of the Church to adopt a uniform paid family leave policy (hereinafter, “UPFLP”) at the minimum acceptable level of coverage which should be provided to all employees, and that to the extent that there is a church or other affiliated organization that offers a more comprehensive policy, the policy outlined in this resolution is to be considered the minimum acceptable offering; and be it further

Resolved, That the UPFLP will be modeled along the following parameters:

1. The Church plan design for the UPFLP will be set up to offer the options of bronze, silver or platinum plans;
2. The UPFLP will, in its final version, provide a thorough cost analysis, and it is anticipated that the services of an outside consultant will be needed to analyze relevant demographic data in order to provide accurate cost estimates, and further, it is understood that it is currently not possible to share the cost of the UPFLP nationally through an insurance-type program, and therefore, each diocese will need to have the discretion to determine how the cost of the UPFLP will be shared among the churches in that diocese;
3. The UPFLP will also, in its final version, provide a thorough outline of plan administration considerations in order to assist with developing and maintaining a policy, training supervisors, educating employees, and record keeping;
4. The UPFLP will in all instances provide for parity of clergy and lay employees;
5. The UPFLP will in all instances provide for both paid parental/bonding leave, as well as paid caregiver leave; however, levels of plans may vary in terms of which family members will be covered by said caregiver leave;
6. In all instances, the UPFLP will provide for job protection for any employee on leave;
7. The UPFLP will provide for a duration of leave of between 6 and 16 weeks;
8. The UPFLP will offer options to cover between 70% and 100% of covered weekly earnings;
9. The UPFLP will also provide specific guidance for a variety of specific factors such as how coverage will apply to two parents working for the same employer, definition of covered weekly earnings, qualified reasons to take leave, required documentation to request leave, and coordination with applicable state and federal laws.

And be it further

Resolved, That the General Convention affirms the teaching that the birth or adoption of a child is a cause of celebration for parents, family and the entire community and that an entire community has responsibility for supporting a family in raising a child; and that family members often need to care for one another in sickness, and that this care and ministry serves to give confidence of your loving care; and that individuals suffering from illness may not be able to work for a period of time; and be it further

Resolved, That the General Convention recognizes that the federal government has a role in ensuring those who are sick are cared for, and that all have sufficient healthcare, enough to eat, adequate housing, and that illness does not economically devastate families. Therefore we call on the federal government to institute a funding mechanism for citizens to take paid family leave in order to care for a newborn child, a foster or adopted child, or immediate family members who require care during illness, as well as providing paid sick leave to the fullest extent possible; and be it further

Resolved, That the General Convention calls on the Office of Government Relations to advocate to the Congress for the establishment of a paid family leave program, in particular for workers who do not have access to paid leave from their employers.