[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 17 (Tuesday, February 5, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H351]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            20TH ANNIVERSARY OF FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE ACT

  (Mr. SWALWELL of California asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SWALWELL of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark the 
20th anniversary of the signing of the Family and Medical Leave Act, 
FMLA. After years of hearing talk about family values, it took 
President Clinton and the 103rd Congress to adopt policies like FMLA 
that actually value families.
  As many people know, FMLA allows up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave per 
year due to an employee's own illness, to take care of a sick family 
member, or to be with a new child. For 20 years, this law has 
recognized the needs of hardworking families, particularly working 
women who often are heroically trying to balance their job and their 
role as primary caregiver.
  The latest data from the Department of Labor demonstrate the 
importance of FMLA. In 2011, over 14 million workers took leave under 
the Act. And this leave is not disruptive to employers, with 40 percent 
of workers being away from the job for 10 days or fewer.
  I know workers around the country are grateful for the protections of 
FMLA. Now over 20 years they have felt confident they could take time 
off as needed without fear of losing their job to care for themselves 
or their family.
  As we debate the fiscal and budgetary issues of the day, I hope FMLA 
serves as a reminder that we can and should be valuing families, not 
just in our words, but in our deeds as well.

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