Udall, McCaskill Champion Bipartisan, Bicameral Effort to Extend Maternity Leave for Military Women
MOM Act Gives Women in the Military 12 Weeks of Maternity Leave, Up from Six Weeks
U.S. Senators Mark Udall (D-Colo.) and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) announced today that they will introduce legislation to ensure women serving in the military have 12 weeks of maternity leave, instead of the six weeks they may currently receive. The Military Opportunities for Mothers (MOM) Act aligns the military's family policies with the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) guidelines available to federal employees.
"This legislation, which has broad bipartisan support in the House, is a common-sense benefit for our military families," said Udall, who serves on the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee. "Extending maternity leave for our military women is the least we can do for these brave warriors — and an idea that I will fight to make a reality through this bill."
"Our mothers in uniform deserve the same opportunity for family leave as mothers in other parts of the federal government — especially when a military deployment may mean months away from their newborn," said McCaskill, a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. "This bipartisan bill would improve that opportunity for women in the military who are already making major sacrifices to defend the freedoms we all enjoy."
The companion bill in the U.S. House of Representatives has more than four-dozen co-sponsors from across the country.