House Committee on Education and Labor
U.S. House of Representatives

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-CA), the senior Republican on the House Labor Committee, today commended Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao for her work to clarify the 15-year-old Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and expand its protections for military families. McKeon welcomed the release of final rules to implement changes made to the law earlier this year to assist the families of servicemen and women, as well as changes needed to eliminate confusion about the law’s broader application in the workplace.

“We owe a debt of gratitude to the brave men and women who serve this country in uniform. They and their families make sacrifices every day to protect our freedom. When they’re away on active duty, or when they return in need of the care of their loved ones, we should do all that we can to ease the burden on their families,” said McKeon. “These regulations will provide direct assistance to service members and their families by ensuring the availability of workplace leave to respond to their individual circumstances.” 

The FY 2008 National Defense Authorization Act, signed into law earlier this year, expanded FMLA coverage to families of service members called to active duty or those who require medical care because of an illness or injury incurred in the line of duty. The regulations unveiled today by the Department of Labor will help implement these new protections for military families, providing much-needed workplace flexibility. They also provide new leave coverage for the family members of reserve personnel called up to active duty. 

The regulations outlined today also reflect a multi-year effort by the Department of Labor to update the FMLA in response to various court cases that modified the law’s application and to alleviate widespread confusion among workers and employers about the FMLA’s protections. 

“While the FMLA has generally worked well for workers needing time off work to care for a newborn or tend to illness among workers or their families, it is clear that the law was in need of updates to reflect the realities of today’s workplace,” said McKeon. “The Department of Labor has a responsibility to ensure workers and employers understand their rights and responsibilities under the law. These regulations offer clarity and certainty, and will vastly improve the workability of the FMLA.”

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