Mandated paid maternity leave is a very important issue today. The United States is one of the only industrialized countries in the world which does not mandate paid maternity leave. The only law in effect is the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) which provides job security and up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to employees of businesses with 50 or more workers. This is a major issue in the United States. Women make up a greater portion of the American workforce than in the 1960s and therefore are three times more likely to be working until the end of the pregnancy. This can create complications. Working longer into pregnancy has been linked to delivery complications and lower birth weights. Differences in socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, and educational levels can affect paid maternity leave benefits. Researchers found that paid maternity leave benefits were more generous for older, highly educated, privately insured, partnered, and high-income women. They were likely to receive paid maternity leave for longer periods at higher salary compensation levels. The benefits of paid maternity leave are abundant. Women who took partially or fully paid leave experienced nearly a 50% reduction in the odds of having their infant hospitalized, having been hospitalized themselves, and having seen a mental health care provider. Those who took paid leave also reported doing better with exercise and stress management. Additionally, women who took over 12 weeks of paid leave experienced nearly a 75% reduction in the odds of having their infant re-hospitalized and having seen a mental health care provider. Paid maternity leave is linked to increased breastfeeding rates. The American Academy of Pediatrics says infants that were not breastfed face more than 3.5 times the odds of Sudden Infant Death (SIDs) when compared to breastfed babies. The reasons provided make it abundantly clear that paid maternity leave provides many benefits to the mother and child. I am asking to provide 12-18 weeks of paid maternity leave with job security as a federally funded bill. This is to provide that all employees of the United States receive benefits no matter how many employers a company has.