Bipartisanship Does Exist!

A conversation about the importance of bipartisanship, and the vision for future bipartisan policy work featured two Members of Congress, Republican Stephanie Bice (R-OK) and Democrat Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA). They discussed the current political environment, paid leave and workplace issues, led by Chatrane Birbal, Vice President of Public Policy and Government Relations.

• The panel offered insights into their efforts to develop a federal paid leave program.
  
  
• The discussion emphasized how bipartisanship is more common than realized.

“Know that your members of Congress are working for you, even if it might not be that apparent when you turn on the news,” stated Rep. Bice when discussing the importance of bipartisanship in Congress. Both lawmakers shared  how bipartisanship fosters cooperation and consensus-building among lawmakers from different political backgrounds, and how it enables the passage of substantive legislation that reflects broader viewpoints and priorities. 

Shared experiences led to paid family leave working group. The pair began their conversation by sharing the story of how they forged a friendship while serving in the House of Representatives. This connection, through shared experiences, eventually gave rise to the establishment of a bipartisan working group dedicated to creating a federal paid family leave system that eliminates the existing fragmented access experience by many families.

“Paid family leave presents a multifaceted challenge” that will require bipartisan support from both chambers of Congress, stated Rep. Houlahan. The working group intends to examine both effective and unsuccessful approaches to paid leave, by having conversations with different stakeholders. Both members stated that they are committed to exploring strategies to narrow the disparity between Americans who have access to generous paid family leave benefits and those who have none. The working group is aiming to create a federal paid family leave system that eliminates the existing fragmented access experienced by many families. 

“The workforce is quickly changing, and we must work in step with these changes in order to make effective policy,” stated Rep. Houlahan. The panel closed by discussing efforts between different caucuses in tackling these challenges, and how these solutions must be bipartisan efforts.