[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 162 (Wednesday, October 26, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1943]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     NATIONAL WORK AND FAMILY MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 26, 2011

  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of October as 
National Work and Family Month. Each and every day American families 
make choices about how to best care for their family and to fulfill 
work obligations.
  Over the last 50 years, the demographics of the U.S. workforce have 
changed significantly and with that, so have our needs. With more women 
in the workforce, fewer households have at least one parent at home. 
According to Census data, 70 percent of children are raised in families 
headed by either a working single parent or two working parents. In 
addition, more households are caring for older relatives as medical 
advances continue to extend life expectancy. It's important that as my 
colleagues and I work to create and grow jobs, we also ensure that 
these jobs afford all Americans the chance to take care of their 
families and maintain a paycheck.
  In an effort to acknowledge the realities of our modern workforce I 
have reintroduced the Family and Medical Leave Enhancement Act (H.R. 
1440) to expand the number of workplaces required to comply with the 
original 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act, FMLA, and the Family and 
Medical Leave Inclusion Act to add same-sex spouses, grandparents, and 
grandchildren (H.R. 2364) as leave beneficiaries under FMLA. In 
addition, I will soon reintroduce the Working Families Flexibility Act, 
legislation that gives employees the right to request flexible work 
arrangements.
  Strong work and family policies help attract, motivate, and retain a 
talented workforce and businesses should be encouraged to think 
strategically about the flexibility and family-friendly benefits they 
offer to their workers.

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