Family and Medical Leave Act Anniversary

Floor Speech

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Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, today on February
5, 2015, we celebrate the 22nd anniversary of the Family and Medical
Leave Act, a family-friendly workplace policy that has benefited
millions of American families. Since its passage in 1993, this landmark
law has been used 200 million times by men and women across the nation.
These individuals and their families have benefited from up to 12 weeks
of unpaid job protected leave to care for a new child, sick family
member, or a loved one recovering from a serious health condition.

While we celebrate this anniversary we must also recognize that after
more than two decades our nation's family leave policies have not kept
pace with changes to America's families and workforce. FMLA provides
unpaid leave, which means families must choose between foregoing a
paycheck and caring for a loved one. Most families today no longer have
a stay-at-home parent to care for a new child, and even before the
economic crisis, few could afford to go without pay for any length of
time.

We need new policies that show that we truly value America's
families. That is why I recently introduced the Federal Employees Paid
Parental Leave Act, legislation that provides federal employees with 6
weeks of paid leave following the birth, adoption, or fostering of a
child. The Federal government is our nation's largest employer and as
such should be leading the way on family-friendly workplace policy. By
extending paid parental leave for new parents this bill helps diminish
the risk of real economic hardship for the 2 million federal employees
following the birth or adoption of a child.

I urge my colleagues to pass legislation that brings our country
forward to the 21st Century and reflects the realities of our nation's workforce.

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