[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 29 (Wednesday, February 14, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S966]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE ACT

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, last week marked the 25th anniversary of 
the Family and Medical Leave Act, a landmark law that resulted in an 
important victory for working families in Illinois and across the 
country. I am proud that I supported this bill in 1993 while serving in 
the House of Representatives.
  Before passage of the Family and Medical Leave Act, being a working 
parent meant that you might have to choose between keeping your job or 
taking care of yourself and your family. This is an impossible choice 
that no hard-working American should have to make. This legislation 
extended important protections to workers so that they would no longer 
have to risk losing their job in order to care for a new child or a 
loved one who is seriously ill or to address their own serious health 
condition.
  But for too many hard-working Americans, taking unpaid leave is still 
not an option. These workers could be fired for taking time to care for 
a loved one, meaning they can't buy food, clothes for their kids, or 
pay medical bills. In Illinois alone, unpaid leave through the Family 
and Medical Leave Act is inaccessible for 60 percent of working adults. 
I have heard from many of these constituents. They are worried about 
the impossible choices they are forced to make in order to take care of 
themselves and their loved ones.
  Additionally, just 15 percent of American workers have access to paid 
family leave. These gaps cost nearly $21 billion in lost wages 
annually, making it more difficult for parents and family caregivers to 
boost their earnings and savings over time.
  At the same time, the responsibilities of the American workforce have 
changed in the past 25 years. As working Americans get older, they are 
more likely to require medical care and support from their loved ones 
to recover from illness. At the same time, more and more women are 
becoming the breadwinner for their families; among women of color in my 
home State, this trend couldn't be clearer. Eighty-four percent of 
Black mothers and 49 percent of Latina mothers in Illinois are the 
breadwinners in their family.
  In Congress, we must do more to ensure that family leave is widely 
accessible and fits the needs of today's workforce. I am proud to be a 
cosponsor of the FAMILY Act, which would create a national paid family 
and medical leave policy. Expanding access to paid family leave makes 
it easier for parents and caregivers to return to their jobs and stay 
in the workforce. It also means they have more money to spend and put 
back into their local economies. This policy doesn't just make moral 
sense, it makes economic sense.
  As we mark the 25th anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act, 
I hope that Congress can come together on this issue and expand paid 
family and medical leave to cover more Americans. I am committed to 
doing my part to ensure fairer workplaces and better health and 
financial security for hardworking families across the country.

                          ____________________