[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 82 (Thursday, May 17, 2007)]
[House]
[Page H5336]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  ALTMIRE-UDALL AMENDMENT TO H.R. 1585

  (Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker and Members of the 
House, last night the House adopted the Altmire-Udall amendment to 
provide military families with very simple but much needed support 
while loved ones are away on combat duty.
  Under the amendment that was agreed to, a worker can take family and 
medical leave to deal with the issues that arise as a result of a 
spouse, parent, or child's deployment to a combat zone like Iraq or 
Afghanistan. Under this amendment family members can use the leave to 
take care of issues like making legal and financial arrangements and 
making child care arrangements or other family obligations that arise 
and double when family members are on active duty deployments.
  Supporting the troops is more than a bumper sticker. We must support 
the troops with all of the support that they need so their families can 
continue to function during the difficult times of deployment. These 
deployments and extended tours are not easy on families, and two-parent 
households can suddenly become a single-parent household and one parent 
is left alone to deal with paying the bills, going to the bank, picking 
up the kids from school, watching the kids, providing emotional support 
to the rest of the family. You have got to deal with these 
predeployment preparations.
  This amendment is a good amendment. I hope that the House will 
support it with the passage of the legislation. Last year, tragically, 
it was thrown out in the conference committee and was given no 
consideration by the majority party of the last Congress.

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