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WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA) praised the U.S. House of Representatives for voting today to approve legislation to help workers meet their work and family responsibilities when a loved one is deployed to a combat zone.
“We owe it to our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan to do everything we can to ensure that their families are taken care of while they are risking their lives for our country,” said Miller, chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee. “This legislation would make a big difference in the lives of families who are struggling to balance the demands of work and home life while a parent or other loved one is deployed.”
The legislation, offered by U.S. Reps. Jason Altmire (D-PA) and Tom Udall (D-NM) as an amendment to a larger defense bill, would allow workers to use Family and Medical Leave to deal with issues that arise as a result of the deployment of a spouse, parent, or child to a combat zone like Iraq or Afghanistan. Under current law, workers are only permitted to use that time for family illnesses or births.
“These deployments and extended tours of duty are not easy on families,” said Miller. “A two-parent household can suddenly become a single parent household. One parent is left alone to deal with running errands, caring for kids, and managing the household. In times like these, military families urgently need all the support we can give them.”
The Family and Medical Leave Act, which became law in 1993, requires employers to grant up to 12 workweeks of unpaid leave to eligible employees during any 12-month period in order to care for a sick relative or a new child or to recover from illness. The law does not require employers to provide paid leave to employees, though employers may provide that benefit voluntarily.
To see Altmire’s statement on the legislation, click here.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Tom Kiley / Rachel Racusen
2181 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202-226-0853
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