U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) on May 10 sponsored a bill to modernize the Family and Sick Leave Act (FMLA) by addressing some of the bill’s flaws to allow American families to have more vacations.
“This bipartisan bill will give married couples equal benefits regardless of their employer, and will also allow time to care for a sick family member, including our heroic service members,” said Senator Ernst.
The FAIR Act (Fair Access for Individuals to Receive), p. 1528, which Senator Ernst introduced together with US Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), would amend the FMLA to remove certain vacation restrictions for employed married people will be provided by the same employer as per the summary of the Congress Bill.
“As every mother can testify, it is important for new parents to spend the first few weeks together with their children,” said Senator Ernst. “That’s why I continued to work in the Senate to improve parental leave options.”
Currently, the FMLA offers unpaid, non-work-related leave for certain family and medical reasons, but limits the amount of leave married couples working for the same employer can take to be at home with their new baby or to look around Caring for a sick relative or service member.
If it came into effect, S. 1528 would remove this restriction and allow eligible spouses working for the same employer to work unpaid for up to 12 working weeks (24 total) over a 12-month period for certain FMLA-qualified reasons, including childbirth Taking vacation of a child, placing and adopting a child, caring for a parent with a serious state of health and up to 26 weeks at a time for caring for an insured service member with a serious injury or illness according to an invoice summary compiled by Sen. Ernst’s office.
S. 1528 was referred to the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee for consideration.
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