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Article snippet: The White House and Congress have reached a tentative agreement to grant 12 weeks of paid parental leave to all federal workers, according to a congressional source, in what would be a historic deal. A draft for a must-pass defense policy bill includes language that would grant the paid leave for 2.1 million civilians who work for the government to care for a new baby after birth, adoption or the initiation of foster care. The draft was first reported by The Wall Street Journal. Current law allows military members to get 12 weeks of paid family leave, while civilians get 12 weeks leave without pay and are paid by using accumulated annual or sick leave. To qualify for the new benefits, employees must have been working for the federal government for at least a year and stay in their posts for at least 12 weeks after returning from leave. The requirement could be waived for a physical, mental or other problem out of the parent’s control. The source familiar with negotiations credited Democrats with getting the provision in the bill, arguing that "Republicans had resisted for weeks." Asked why the deal was being classified as "tentative," the source added that the defense policy bill has not been finalized, and anything in the bill is classified as tentative until it has been posted. Lawmakers are reportedly still waiting on an estimate on the proposal’s cost from the Congressional Budget Office. Asked about the tentative agreement, a Democratic aide was more cautio... Link to the full article to read more