25th Anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act

Floor Speech

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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.

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