House lawmakers introduced a bill on Wednesday that would institute a paid parental leave policy for all federal employees.

The bill (H.R. 3158), sponsored by Reps. Tom Davis, R-Va., Steny Hoyer, D-Md., and Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., would provide all federal employees with eight weeks of paid leave for the birth or adoption of a child.

Under current rules, employees can use a combination of paid annual leave, paid sick leave and unpaid leave under the 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act for childbirth or adoption. Federal parents can take up to 12 weeks of unpaid maternity or paternity leave and up to 13 days of paid sick leave to care for newborn or adopted children.

In addition to providing the eight weeks of paid leave, the new legislation would allow federal employees to use any accumulated annual or sick leave to get to the 12 weeks of unpaid leave guaranteed under current law.