[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 32, Number 18 (Monday, May 6, 1996)]
[Page 774]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on the Family and Medical Leave Act

May 1, 1996

    Three years ago, I worked with the Congress to pass the Family and 
Medical Leave Act so that we could help Americans balance their work and 
family responsibilities. Americans should not have to choose between 
their job and caring for a sick child or parent. We said we could do 
that without hurting businesses, and we were right. Today, a bipartisan 
commission that studied the act announced its conclusion that this new 
law has significantly helped working Americans while placing only 
minimal requirements on their employers.
    The commission found that because we have a Family and Medical Leave 
Act, fewer workers will have to choose between their jobs and their 
loved ones if a child or elderly parent should need care. That's 
tremendously important in an era when most households are headed by two 
working parents or by single mothers.
    And as we predicted at the time we fought for this legislation, 
businesses are finding that the new law is easy to administer and costs 
are non-existent or small. The majority of leaves are short in duration, 
and most workers return to their jobs. In fact, some businesses 
testified to the commission that the new law has helped them reduce 
employee turnover, enhance productivity, and improve the morale of their 
workforce.
    The Family and Medical Leave Act has brought many Americans a 
benefit that was once afforded only to a fortunate few--the knowledge 
that they can return to their jobs and keep their health benefits if 
they need unpaid time off to meet medical or family needs. Thanks to the 
work of this bipartisan commission, we now have further proof of what I 
have always known: the Family and Medical Leave Act was, and is, the 
right thing to do for America's working families.