Political Quotes

“last week marked the 25th anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act, a landmark law that resulted in an important victory for working families in Illinois and across the country. I am proud that I supported this bill in 1993 while serving in the House of Representatives. Before passage of the Family and Medical Leave Act, being a working parent meant that you might have to choose between keeping your job or taking care of yourself and your family. This is an impossible choice that no hard-working American should have to make. This legislation extended important protections to workers so that they would no longer have to risk losing their job in order to care for a new child or a loved one who is seriously ill or to address their own serious health condition. But for too many hard-working Americans, taking unpaid leave is still not an option. These workers could be fired for taking time to care for a loved one, meaning they can't buy food, clothes for their kids, or pay medical bills. In Illinois alone, unpaid leave through the Family and Medical Leave Act is inaccessible for 60 percent of working adults. I have heard from many of these constituents. They are worried about the impossible choices they are forced to make in order to take care of themselves and their loved ones. Additionally, just 15 percent of American workers have access to paid family leave.…”