Senator Tammy Duckworth has joined colleagues in promoting majjor paid family and medical leave legislation. Their proposal, labeled the FAMILY Act, would provide up to 12 weeks of paid leave for workers who need time to care for a newborn or adopted child, a seriously ill family member, or their own serious health condition. Duckworth says after her husband helped care for her after she lost her legs in a war zone helicopter crash, she doesn't need a focus group to understand the issue. She says families and taxpayers would benefit.

The Senators note less than 40 percent of American workers have access to personal medical leave, and just 14 percent have access to paid family leave.