Political Quotes

“First, I take a moment to acknowledge that we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act. Signed into law February 5, 1993, FMLA established the right for many workers to take an unpaid leave from work for serious illness, adoption, or to care for newborns or family members. Unfortunately, unpaid leave is still inaccessible for 63 percent of working Floridians because they are ineligible for the FMLA or cannot afford to take unpaid leave. This means 63 percent of Florida's families face an impossible choice: work or family responsibilities. Failure to guarantee paid family leave not only hurts our economy, it hurts our families, and it is women who suffer most. In Florida, 79 percent of Black mothers, 56 percent of Latina mothers, and 53 percent of White mothers are key family breadwinners. Paid family leave means these mothers can stay in the labor force and care for their families' medical needs. We must also think about our seniors, medical circumstances arising from military service, and those in need of support battling addiction. Paid leave not only supports American families, it boosts economic activity. We must expand FMLA to cover more workers for the next 25 years and beyond. Honoring Black History Month”