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A Resolution of the County of Allegheny, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urging the Pennsylvania Senate to enact and Governor Shapiro to sign the Family Care Act, with all deliberate speed.
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WHEREAS, nearly 4 million Pennsylvanians (approximately 66% of the Commonwealth’s workforce) lack access to paid family and medical leave, making many working families - particularly those in rural areas with limited access to necessary medical care facilities - especially vulnerable to having to choose between retaining their employment and caring for a new child or sick family member; and
WHEREAS, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Allegheny County is home to118,716 families with children under the age of 18 and 124,503 children under the age of 10;
WHEREAS, according to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Department of Health, 11,526 children were born in Allegheny County in 2024 (the most recent year for which this statistic is available), reflecting a continuous and significant demand for caregiving capacity among working families; and
WHEREAS, nearly 90% of those children were born to mothers in essential years of workforce participation, underscoring the direct connection between caregiving responsibilities and career opportunities ; and
WHEREAS, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, 74.3% of Allegheny County women with children under 6 years old are either working or actively seeking employment; and
WHEREAS, caregiving responsibilities and family health needs affect workers across the labor force, and the absence of paid leave can disrupt employment and income stability for both men and women, often forcing workers to choose between maintaining employment and meeting critical caregiving or medical needs; and
WHEREAS, women disproportionately bear familial caregiving responsibilities and therefore, the income stability and job protection afforded by paid family and medical leave programs are expected to result in higher rates of participation of w...
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