[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 234 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 234

To amend the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 to allow employees to 
take, as additional leave, parental involvement leave to participate in 
 or attend their children's educational and extracurricular activities 
and to clarify that leave may be taken for routine medical needs and to 
           assist elderly relatives, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 7, 1997

  Mrs. Maloney of New York (for herself, Ms. Norton, Mrs. Lowey, Mr. 
 Rush, Ms. Millender-McDonald, Ms. Brown of Florida, Ms. Lofgren, Ms. 
  Pelosi, and Mr. Ackerman) introduced the following bill; which was 
   referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in 
  addition to the Committees on Government Reform and Oversight, and 
  House Oversight, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
  Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 to allow employees to 
take, as additional leave, parental involvement leave to participate in 
 or attend their children's educational and extracurricular activities 
and to clarify that leave may be taken for routine medical needs and to 
           assist elderly relatives, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; REFERENCE.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Family and Medical 
Leave Enhancement Act''.
    (b) Reference.--Whenever in sections 2, 3, and 5 an amendment or 
repeal is expressed in terms of an amendment to, or repeal of, a 
section or other provision, the reference shall be considered to be 
made to a section or other provision of the Family and Medical Leave 
Act of 1993.

SEC. 2. ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEE.

    Section 101(2)(B)(ii) (29 U.S.C. 2611(2)(B)(ii)) is amended by 
striking ``50'' each place it occurs and inserting ``25''.

SEC. 3. ADDITIONAL LEAVE FOR PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT.

    (a) Leave Requirement.--Section 102(a) (29 U.S.C. 2612(a)) is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(3) Entitlement to additional leave for parental 
        involvement.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Subject to section 103(f), in 
                addition to leave available under paragraph (1), an 
                eligible employee shall be entitled to a total of 4 
                hours of leave during any 30-day period, and a total of 
                24 hours of leave during any 12-month period to 
                participate in or attend an activity that--
                            ``(i) is sponsored by a school or community 
                        organization; and
                            ``(ii) relates to a program of the school 
                        or organization that is attended by a son or 
                        daughter of the employee, including a foster 
                        child of the employee.
                    ``(B) Definitions.--As used in subparagraph (A):
                            ``(i) School.--The term `school' means an 
                        elementary school or secondary school (as such 
                        terms are defined in section 14101 of the 
                        Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 
                        (20 U.S.C. 8801)), a Head Start program 
                        assisted under the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 
                        9831 et seq.), and a child care facility 
                        licensed under State law.''.
                            ``(ii) Community organization.--The term 
                        `community organization' means a private 
                        nonprofit organization that is representative 
                        of a community or a significant segment of a 
                        community and provides activities for 
                        individuals described in subparagraph (A) or 
                        (B) of section 101(12), such as a scouting or 
                        sports organization.''.
    (b) Schedule.--Section 102(b)(1) (29 U.S.C. 2612(b)(1)) is amended 
by inserting after the second sentence the following: ``Leave under 
subsection (a)(3)(A) may be taken intermittently or on a reduced leave 
schedule.''.
    (c) Substitution of Paid Leave.--Section 102(d)(2)(A) (29 U.S.C. 
2612(d)(2)(A)) is amended by inserting before the period the following: 
``, or for leave provided under subsection (a)(3)(A) for any part of 
the 24-hour period of such leave under such subsection''.
    (d) Notice.--Section 102(e)(1) (29 U.S.C. 2612(e)(1)) is amended by 
adding at the end the following: ``In any case in which an employee 
requests leave under subsection (a)(3)(A), the employee shall provide 
the employer with not less than 7 days' notice, before the date the 
leave is to begin, of the employee's intention to take leave under such 
subsection.''.
    (e) Certification.--Section 103 (29 U.S.C. 2613) is amended by 
adding at the end the following:
    ``(f) Certification for Parental Involvement Leave.--An employer 
may require that a request for leave under section 102(a)(3)(A) be 
supported by a certification issued at such time and in such manner as 
the Secretary may by regulation prescribe.''.

SEC. 4. PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT LEAVE FOR CIVIL SERVANTS.

    (a) Leave Requirement.--Section 6382(a) of title 5, United States 
Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(3)(A) Subject to section 6383(f), in addition to leave available 
under paragraph (1), an employee shall be entitled to a total of 4 
hours of leave during any 30-day period, and a total of 24 hours of 
leave during any 12-month period to participate in or attend an 
activity that--
            ``(i) is sponsored by a school or community organization; 
        and
            ``(ii) relates to a program of the school or organization 
        that is attended by a son or daughter of the employee, 
        including a foster child of the employee.
    ``(B) As used in this paragraph:
            ``(i) The term `school' means an elementary school or 
        secondary school (as such terms are defined in section 14101 of 
        the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
        8801)), a Head Start program assisted under the Head Start Act 
        (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.), and a child care facility licensed 
        under State law.''.
            ``(ii) The term `community organization' means a private 
        nonprofit organization that is representative of a community or 
        a significant segment of a community and provides activities 
        for individuals described in subparagraph (A) or (B) of section 
        6381(6), such as a scouting or sports organization.''.
    (b) Schedule.--Section 6382(b)(1) of such title is amended by 
inserting after the second sentence the following: ``Leave under 
subsection (a)(3)(A) may be taken intermittently or on a reduced leave 
schedule.''.
    (c) Substitution of Paid Leave.--Section 6382(d) of such title is 
amended by inserting before ``, except'' the following: ``, or for 
leave provided under subsection (a)(3)(A) any of the employee's accrued 
or accumulated annual leave under subchapter I for any part of the 24-
hour period of such leave under such subsection''.
    (d) Notice.--Section 6382(e)(1) of such title is amended by adding 
at the end the following: ``In any case in which an employee requests 
leave under subsection (a)(3)(A), the employee shall provide the 
employing agency with not less than 7 days' notice, before the date the 
leave is to begin, of the employee's intention to take leave under such 
subsection.''.
    (e) Certification.--Section 6383 of such title is amended by adding 
at the end the following:
    ``(f) An employing agency may require that a request for leave 
under section 6382(a)(3)(A) be supported by a certification issued at 
such time and in such manner as the Office of Personnel Management may 
by regulation prescribe.''.

SEC. 5. CLARIFICATION OF LEAVE ENTITLEMENT.

    Section 102(a)(1) (29 U.S.C. 2612(a)(1)) is amended by adding at 
the end the following:
                    ``(E) To meet routine family medical needs, 
                including transportation of children for medical and 
                dental appointments for annual checkups and 
                vaccinations.
                    ``(F) To meet the routine medical care needs of 
                elderly individuals who are related to the eligible 
                employee, including visits to nursing homes and group 
                homes.''.
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