[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 21 (Monday, May 31, 1999)]
[Pages 978-979]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Memorandum on New Tools To Help Parents Balance Work and Family

May 24, 1999

Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies

Subject: New Tools to Help Parents Balance Work and Family

    Since I became President, my Administration has worked hard to make 
sure that parents have the tools they need to meet their obligations at 
home and at work. I am proud that the very first bill I signed into law 
was the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Since 1993, the FMLA has 
allowed millions of Americans to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave--
without fear of losing their jobs--to care for a newborn or adopted 
child,

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to attend to their own serious health needs, or to care for a seriously 
ill parent, son, daughter, or spouse. Too many American workers, 
however, have been unable to take the leave they need because they 
simply cannot afford to go without a paycheck.
    Therefore, I am taking new steps toward enabling workers to take the 
leave they need.
    First, I hereby direct the Secretary of Labor to propose regulations 
that enable States to develop innovative ways of using the Unemployment 
Insurance (UI) system to support parents on leave following the birth or 
adoption of a child. In addition, I direct the Secretary to develop 
model State legislation that States could use in following these 
regulations. In this effort, the Department of Labor is to evaluate the 
effectiveness of using the UI system for these or related purposes. In a 
1996 study conducted by the Commission on Family and Medical Leave, lost 
pay was the most significant barrier to parents taking advantage of 
unpaid leave after the birth or adoption of a child. This new step will 
help to give States the ability to eliminate a significant barrier that 
parents face in taking leave.
    Second, I direct the Director of the Office of Personnel Management 
to propose government-wide regulations to allow Federal employees to use 
up to 12 weeks of accrued sick leave each year to care for a spouse, 
son, daughter, or parent with a ``serious health condition,'' as that 
term is defined for the purpose of applying the FMLA. Currently, the 
amount of sick leave that can be used to care for a family member who is 
ill is limited to 13 days each year for most Federal employees. By 
enabling Federal workers to use the sick leave they have earned, we will 
eliminate a significant barrier to caring for a family member with a 
serious health condition. The use of paid sick leave under this policy 
will be subject to the same conditions as the use of unpaid leave for 
these purposes under the FMLA. In particular, the same notification and 
certification requirements that govern the use of unpaid leave to care 
for a spouse, son, daughter, or parent under the FMLA will apply to 
Federal employees who use paid sick leave for this purpose. I believe 
the Federal Government has an important role to play in setting an 
example for the Nation.
    Finally, I direct the Director of the Office of Personnel Management 
to establish an Interagency Family Friendly Workplace Working Group 
within 90 days to promote, evaluate, and exchange information on Federal 
family-friendly workplace initiatives. I also direct the head of each 
executive department and agency to appoint a family-friendly work/life 
coordinator to serve as a member of this Working Group. Working Group 
representatives will be responsible for making sure that Federal 
employees are aware of the full range of options available to them to 
meet their personal and family responsibilities (such as alternative 
work schedules, telecommuting, part-time employment, and job sharing). 
The coordinators also will provide employees with information about 
child and elder care resources currently available in their communities, 
and establish and promote parent support groups, elder care support 
groups, and on-site nursing mothers' programs.
                                            William J. Clinton