[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book I)]
[February 1, 1997]
[Pages 102-103]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



The President's Radio Address
February 1, 1997

    Good morning. As a parent, I know how important it is to take 
responsibility for our children when they need us most; when they're 
sick, when they need to go to the doctor, or when there's a parent-
teacher conference at school. Fortunately, Hillary and I have never had 
to risk our jobs to be there for our daughter. We've never had to make 
the choice between being good parents and good workers.
    Today I want to talk with you about what we have done and what more 
we must do as a people to give that same assurance to every American 
family. One of the things I wanted most to do when I became President 
was to help parents succeed both at home and at work. That's why I was 
so proud to make the Family and Medical Leave Act the very first bill I 
signed as President, exactly 4 years ago this Wednesday. Family and 
medical leave allows people in companies with 50 or more employees to 
take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for a newborn or a newly 
adopted child or to be with a family member who is seriously ill without 
fear of losing their job.

[[Page 103]]

    Today, over half of all American workers share this important 
benefit, people like Christy Sens, a first-grade teacher from Fairfax, 
Virginia, who is here with me today. Christy was among the first 
Americans to make use of the new family leave law in 1993 when she and 
her husband were expecting their first child. She thought she would be 
forced to choose between the 6 weeks her school allowed her for new 
mothers or taking a whole year off without pay. Because of our new law, 
she was able to spend 12 full weeks at home recovering from her 
pregnancy and spending precious time with her new daughter. Christy used 
the benefit again in 1995 for the birth of her second child.
    Family leave is not only family-friendly, it's employer-friendly as 
well. Also with me today is Stan Sorrell, president and CEO of the 
Calvert Group, an investment firm in Bethesda, Maryland, and two of his 
employees who have also used family leave. The Calvert Group started a 
family and medical leave program 3 years before it became the law of the 
land. Like almost 90 percent of the businesses covered by the law, they 
found that family leave is easy to administer and costs them little or 
nothing. So we know it's working for both families and businesses. After 
all, in these past 4 years, American business has created over 11 
million new jobs, more than any other 4-year term in our history.
    Now we must make it even easier for parents to live up to their 
responsibilities to their children and to their employers. Today I call 
upon Congress to expand the family leave law to give parents an 
additional 24 hours of unpaid leave each year to take a child or an 
elderly relative to a regular doctor's appointment or to attend parent-
teacher conferences at school. In so doing, we'll make our families 
stronger and our workers more productive, building the kind of country 
and economy we all want for our children.
    We also must address the fact that too many workers still do not 
know about the family leave law. That's why I'm pleased to announce that 
we're launching a multimedia public education campaign to spread the 
word about family leave to make sure employers and employees have the 
facts and to make sure everyone knows how to make this law work for 
them. It's simply not enough to help people have the tools to succeed; 
we also have to make sure they know what those tools are.
    The centerpiece of this campaign is a new 800 number that any 
American can call to learn about family and medical leave. It's 1-800-
959-FMLA. That's 1-800-959-FMLA. You can also get information through 
our Labor Department's website on the Internet: www.dol.gov. That's 
www.dol.gov.
    By expanding family leave to cover children's doctor visits and 
parent-teacher conferences and by helping more Americans to learn about 
the opportunity of family leave, we can enable millions of more of our 
fellow citizens to meet their responsibilities both at home and at work. 
That's how we must prepare our people for a new century full of new 
promise and possibility.
    As parents, teachers, and business people, as members of the work 
force and members of our communities, we all share a stake in the 
strength of our families. Our society can never be stronger than the 
children we raise or the families in which we raise them. That's why 
family leave is more than just a single issue or accomplishment. It is 
at the heart of our approach to preparing America for the 21st century 
by ensuring that we can all meet our obligations and make the most of 
our God-given gifts.
    Thanks for listening.

Note: The President spoke at 10:06 a.m. from the Oval Office at the 
White House.