By U.S. Senator Deb Fischer

Previously I have discussed in this weekly column my efforts to strengthen our communities by offering commonsense policies that help working families. I am leading a new initiative that focuses on workplace flexibility. Despite increasingly complex family demands, not all parents enjoy flexible work arrangements. I believe the solutions for these families are not new, one-size-fits-all federal mandates. Instead, we should focus on a balanced approach that respects both family obligations and employers’ costs of doing business.

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) requires employers of 50 or more employees to provide up to 12 weeks of leave, which can be used for events like the birth or adoption of children, serious medical issues, or providing care to close family members. The challenge for many families is that current law does not include paid time off. Unpaid leave is impossible for many American families, especially hourly, or low-wage workers living paycheck-to-paycheck.

That’s why I’ve offered a bipartisan bill with Senator Angus King (I-Maine) that would enable working families to have continued access to pay while they are meeting necessary family obligations, like caring for an elderly parent or taking a child to the doctor. Our legislation, The Strong Families Act, would create a tax credit for employers who voluntarily offer paid leave to their employees. To be eligible for the tax credit, the employer must offer at least 4 weeks of paid leave.

The paid leave would be available on an hourly basis and would be separate from other vacation or sick leave. For each hour of paid leave provided, the employer would receive a 25 percent tax credit; the more paid FMLA time the employer offers, the greater the tax credit.

I have been focused on policies that lift up the middle class. The “surf and turf caucus” – a Nebraska conservative and an independent from Maine – have offered a common sense plan that can make a real difference in the lives of working families.

I’d also like to provide an update on the crisis along our southern border. Many Nebraskans have contacted my office to share their concerns and I appreciate their input. We have recently learned that an estimated 200 unaccompanied immigrant minors were transported to Nebraska by the federal government. I joined Governor Heineman, Senator Johanns, and Congressmen Terry and Smith in writing a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell requesting that the federal government share information with states about the status of these unaccompanied minors. As of the time I write this column, state and local officials still have not received any information about the immigrant children who were placed in Nebraska.

My main concern is for the safety and health of Nebraska’s communities. ABC News reported on July 17 that, “The federal government is so overwhelmed by the current tide of migrants crossing the border it can’t provide basic medical screening to all of the children before transporting them – often by air – to longer-term holding facilities across the country.” Accordingly, state and local officials who are responsible for the well-being of our communities are rightly frustrated by the federal government’s decision to withhold information. With news reports suggesting Nebraska’s immigration courts have a two-year backlog, the repatriation of these children promises to be a slow process.

The crisis along our southern border is a tragic situation, and we must not forget it is a humanitarian crisis. I believe the federal government’s focus should be on the safe return of these children to their home countries and making sure our border is fully secure.

Part of any plan to fulfill these objectives should be addressing the 2008 law currently slowing down the process of returning these children to their countries of origin. The president must also abandon his selective enforcement policy, which is allowing so-called “coyotes,” or those who smuggle the children north of the border, to convince desperate Central Americans that they can simply come to the United States outside of the legal immigration process.

I will continue to keep you updated as this situation develops and I am grateful for your ongoing input. Thank you for participating in our democratic process; I’ll visit with you again next week.