Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, recently introduced legislation (S 880) that would provide female Senate employees eight weeks of paid maternity leave and male employees one week of leave, Roll Call reports. According to Roll Call, current law -- under guidelines established by the Family and Medical Leave Act -- provides 12 weeks of unpaid leave after a qualifying event, such as the birth of a child. The legislation would amend the Congressional Accountability Act, which follows FMLA guidelines. To qualify, employees would have to work one year in a Senate office, including at least 1,250 hours of employment during the year prior to the leave (Brotherton, Roll Call, 3/20). Adoptive and foster parents would be entitled to one week of paid leave after the placement of a child in their homes (S 880 text, 3/14). The bill would apply to employees of the Government Accountability Office and the Library of Congress but will not apply to the House. The measure is similar to legislation (S 80) Stevens introduced in January that would provide paid leave for executive branch employees, Roll Call reports. Both bills also provide parents eight hours of paid leave to take a child to a physician appointment, to meet with a child's teacher or attend a school function (Roll Call, 3/20).