A new bill was introduced to the Washington, D.C. Council that seeks to extend paid family and medical leave. The Universal Paid Leave Act of 2015 proposes to grant all part-time and full-time D.C. residents paid leave in case of personal illnesses, to care for a sick family member or to be with their new biological or adopted child.

Other “qualifying events” are inclusive to family members of a service member by granting leave for childcare and school activities, military events and related activities and to spend time with a service member who is on short-term, temporary rest during the deployment period.

Also, the bill’s definition of “family” does not exclude lesbian, gay and transgender individuals. The proposal was introduced by David Grosso, who also worked towards raising the minimum wage in D.C. and providing restaurant workers with benefits that are usually unheard of in the industry, such as paid sick days for workers. But that is a whole different story.

In theory, the bill seems like a great step forward in protecting the general public against discrimination for having a child.

It is all too common for a woman to be deemed “unfit” to work once she has a child. While this is not the case for every employer, the fact that one can get away with this in 2015 only serves as another obstacle that is yet to be conquered. However, when looking at the bigger picture, paid leave is just another benefit that seems like it should have already been employed.

If the new legislation is passed in D.C., employees will receive all of their salary during their leave. This would be funded by a new tax on private D.C. employers that will take between 0.6 and 1 percent of their salaries. So essentially, those being taxed already earn more than those that would benefit from paid leave.

According to a report by the International Labor Association, the only two countries that do not provide benefits to women during maternity leave are the U.S. and Papua New Guinea. As of right now, the only U.S. states that offer any family leave are Rhode Island, New Jersey and California. However, only partial pay is guaranteed.

In 2014, President Barack Obama published an op-ed in The Huffington Post in which he stated, “family leave, childcare, flexibility and a decent wage aren’t frills. They’re basic needs.”

So even the president is addressing that a lack of compensation for parental leave is a problem, and yet D.C. is the only place in the country recognizing the conflict and proposing a solution.

Despite the efforts of the legislation, D.C. holds the spot for the most expensive childcare in the nation, with rates getting as high as $1,471 per month. That is more than my rent, utilities and other bills combined. Yet people are paying this just so their kids are taken care of while they are at work. As if kids don’t already drain much of their parent’s income, for some this could mean that staying home with their kids is cheaper than working since this diminishes the need for such services. If the bill is passed, especially in a place like D.C. with such high childcare rates, it would make a huge impact on family incomes.

It is not as if paid leave is a controversial enough issue to significantly cause any damage. In fact, when placed in comparison to other and more contentious laws being debated like campus carry, which is permitted in eight states, it really sheds light on what each state considers a priority.

One significant change that could come if the Universal Paid Leave Act passes and is successful is that D.C. could set a positive example for the rest of the country. Another if not more imperative development could be that childcare would not be perceived as solely the mother’s responsibility.

If both parents have equal opportunities to care for their child without the worry of it affecting their income, this could create a more balanced system within each family. As a result, women can be relinquished of the obsolete stereotypes that it is their obligation to leave the workforce in order to care for a child.