Cong. Lauren Underwood says more people need coverage by the Family Medical Leave Act with paid time off. She plans to introduce in the House the Job Protection Act ahead of the FMLA’s 30th anniversary this Sunday. Underwood says the act would expand protection to people who work for small employers, those who work part time, and those reentering the workforce or changing jobs.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth says FMLA was a huge step forward but didn’t go far enough. She’s joining the movement in Congress to expand it so more workers are covered, especially elementary school workers. Duckworth says her husband was fired after he took 12 weeks off without pay to take care of her when she suffered combat injuries.
The expansion has been introduced in previous congresses but didn’t pass. Underwood and Duckworth spoke about it at a news conference in Washington, DC today.