Over 100 Lawmakers Urge Department of Labor to Reject Changes to Family and Medical Leave Act

Over 100 Lawmakers Urge Department of Labor to Reject Changes to Family and Medical Leave Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Anticipating what may be broad and sweeping changes to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) by the Department of Labor, today over 100 Members of Congress wrote to the department asking it not make any regulatory changes to undercut the program. U.S. Representatives Rosa L. DeLauro (Conn.-3) and George Miller (CA-7), co-chairs of the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, led the effort.

"When a family or personal medical situation occurs, Americans should not have to decide between job responsibilities or taking the time to receive care," said DeLauro. "The millions of Americans who have taken advantage of Family and Medical Leave in the twelve years since it became law prove that any changes made to this law must strengthen, not weaken it for generations to come."

"Guaranteeing workers time to care for a newborn baby or an elderly parent speaks volumes to the value our nation places in strong and healthy families," said Miller. "Undermining the Family and Medical Leave Act would undermine American families."

More than 50 million Americans have taken job-protected leave to bond with a new baby, care for a seriously ill family member, or recuperate from their own serious illness since the enactment of the FMLA just twelve years ago. Research shows that the FMLA has been beneficial to business. United States Department of Labor employer surveys, released in 2000, found that 9 in 10 covered employers report that the FMLA has a positive or neutral effect on productivity and growth. The Department of Labor survey also found that, for the vast majority of employers, intermittent leave has no impact on productivity (81%) or profitability (94%).

The full text of the letter follows.

http://www.house.gov/delauro/press/2005/April/FMLA_letter_04_12_05.html