[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 126 (Thursday, August 2, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10810-S10811]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. DODD (for himself, Mrs. Clinton, Mrs. Dole, Mr. Graham, 
        Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Chambliss, Mr. Reed, Ms. Mikulski, Mrs. 
        Murray, Mr. Salazar, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Brown, 
        Mr. Nelson of Nebraska, Mr. Cardin, and Mr. Harkin):
  S. 1975. A bill to expand family and medical leave in support of 
servicemembers with combat-related injuries; to the Committee on 
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, 14 years ago, the Family and Medical Leave 
Act, FMLA, declared the principle that workers should never be forced 
to choose between the jobs they need and the families they love. In the 
years since its passage, more than 50 million Americans have taken 
advantage of its provisions to care for a sick love one, or recover 
from illness themselves, or welcome a new baby into the family. If 
ordinary Americans deserve those rights, how much more do they apply to 
those who risk their lives in the service of our country? Soldiers who 
have been wounded in our service deserve everything America can give to 
speed their recoveries, but most of all, they deserve the care of their 
closest loved ones.
  That is exactly what is offered in the Support for Injured 
Servicemembers Act, a bill I am proud to have authored along with 
Senator Clinton. The FMLA was the very first bill that President 
Clinton signed into law, and I am grateful that his wife, Senator 
Clinton, continues to support the principles that I have been fighting 
for over 20 years. Now, I am also pleased that Senators Dole, Graham, 
Kennedy, Chambliss, Reed, Mikulski, Murray, Salazar, Lieberman, 
Menendez, Brown, Nelson of Nebraska, and Cardin are cosponsoring this 
new legislation today.
  Senator Bob Dole and former Secretary of Health and Human Services 
Donna Shalala have been instrumental in this effort as well, through 
their thoughtfulness and work on the President's Commission on Care for 
America's Returning Wounded Warriors.
  It is unsurprising that the commission found that family members play 
a critical role in the recovery of our wounded servicemembers. The 
commitment shown by the families and friends of our troops is truly 
inspiring: according to the commission's report, 33 percent of active 
duty servicemembers report that a family member or close friend 
relocated for extended periods of time to help in their recoveries. It 
also points out that 21 percent of active duty servicemembers say that 
their friends or family members gave up jobs to find the time. To quote 
from the commission's moving report:

       In virtually every case [of a wounded servicemember], a 
     wife, husband, parent, brother, or sister has received the 
     heart-stopping telephone call telling them that their loved 
     one is sick or injured, halfway around the world.

  These loved ones bear a burden almost as sharp as the wound itself. 
The very least we can give them is the assurance that their jobs will 
be there when they return.
  It is for these reasons that the commission recommend that the FMLA 
be expanded to provide family members of combat-injured servicemembers 
up to 6 months of leave to care for their loved ones.
  The Support for Injured Servicemembers Act does just that. FMLA 
currently allows 3 months of unpaid leave. Given the severity of their 
injuries, and our debt of gratitude, our servicemembers need more.
  For the first time, this bill offers FMLA leave not just to parents, 
spouses, and children, but to next-of-kin, including siblings. 
Families, not the government, should decide for themselves who takes on 
the work of caring for their injured loved ones. This bill recognizes 
that fact, and it is a major accomplishment.
  Our troops are laying their bodies on the line for us in Iraq and 
Afghanistan, every day. Our full debt to them is unpayable. But perhaps 
the best thing we can do for them is to get out of the way, to make it 
possible for the love of family to heal their wounds. With their jobs 
protected, more family members will be able to do just that. What this

[[Page S10811]]

bill does, then, is break down a barrier, between our troops and the 
care they need the most.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
                                 ______