[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 17 (Tuesday, February 5, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E98]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    CELEBRATING THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FAMILY MEDICAL LEAVE ACT

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                       HON. JANICE D. SCHAKOWSKY

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 5, 2013

  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in honor of the Family Medical 
Leave Act. Twenty years ago today, we took an important step to 
protecting workers that need to take time off to deal with a serious 
health or family issue. Since then, American workers have used FMLA 
leave more than 100 million times to address a serious health 
condition, including pregnancy; to care for a family member with a 
serious health condition; or to care for a newborn child, newly adopted 
child or a newly placed foster child. FMLA allows workers to take time 
from work to care for themselves or their loved ones without 
jeopardizing their jobs. FMLA does not a salary during the leave--an 
omission that needs to be corrected--but it does guarantee their job 
will be there when they return.
  In recent years, President Obama has signed into law expansions of 
FMLA coverage to our brave women and men serving in our armed forces 
and airline employees. The National Defense Authorization Act of 2010 
expanded FMLA leave for military families to include coverage of 
qualifying exigency leave to employees and families in the Regular 
Armed Forces, and coverage of military caregiver leave to employees who 
are a spouse, son, daughter, parent, or next of kin of certain veterans 
with a serious illness or injury. The Airline Flight Crew Technical 
Corrections Act makes more airline flight attendants and crew members 
eligible for FMLA leave.
  Yet, despite those expansions, the United States lags behind other 
countries. A total of 137 countries mandate employers to offer paid 
leave, while 121 countries guarantee workers at least two weeks of paid 
leave each year. The absence of a paid leave requirement forces many 
Americans to choose between protecting their finances and taking time 
off to deal with a serious health or family crisis. Many of the 
employees who qualify for FMLA leave cannot financially afford to take 
leave without pay. 78 percent of employees who wanted to take FMLA 
leave, but did not, reported it was because they could not afford to 
lose those extra paychecks. Hardworking Americans--both men and woman--
should be free to take the family and medical leave they need without 
fear of emptying their bank account.
  The Family Medical Leave Act took an important step in ensuring 
workers that their jobs will be secure in the event that they need to 
take time off to deal with a serious health or family issue but we can 
and must do more. We must ensure that every job provides paid leave in 
times of sickness or family emergency.

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