Katie Hill no longer holds a seat in Congress, but she’s still fighting to help women break down power structures that keep them from achieving equality.
“I am even more passionate now than I was before,” Hill told “Inside the Issues” host Alex Cohen.
The former Democratic representative resigned from Congress in 2019, days after allegations of having an inappropriate relationship with a campaign staffer prior to being elected.
But her past isn’t keeping her from standing up for others. That includes advocating for paid family leave.
“It was always something that was a priority for me and the people that I represented,” Hill said.
The issue hits even closer to home as Hill is expecting her first child. “It truly is different when you have those life experiences,” she said.
Paid family leave is one of several benefits included in the national $1.9 trillion spending plan, also known as President Joe Biden’s “Build Back Better” bill. The legislation was passed in the House last month. It would provide four weeks of paid family leave to all employees regardless of size of business, job type or length of service.
Hill says she’s been grateful to not have the stress of being a politician right now, especially as the debate over the spending bill heats up in Congress.
“I thought about it many times — how I would have done that if I’d been pregnant or a mom at that point," Hill said.
The U.S. is one of eight countries that currently do not have a paid family leave policy. Hill says our nation is on this list because of an underrepresentation of women in elected office.
“It should be a universal issue; it shouldn’t just be a women’s centric one,” she said.
The Senate is expected to vote on the “Build Back Better” bill in the new year.
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