John Sarbanes: “I rise today to join with Marylanders and all Americans in celebrating the anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave…”

“I rise today to join with Marylanders and all Americans in celebrating the anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, FMLA. The FMLA was passed 10 years ago today on February 5, 1993. It addressed one of the most pressing issues of the time: how to help parents and other family members balance the demands of work and family. Balancing these demands has always been difficult, but the last few decades have seen an increase in working mothers, single parents and working families who are caring for elderly relatives. Trying to cope with the dual burdens of work and family left many families and individuals unable to meet all the demands placed on them. The FMLA was designed to help ease the burden on many of these families. The FMLA requires private employers with at least 50 employees, and public employers, to give unpaid leave to employees who meet the eligibility requirements for such leave. To be eligible, the FMLA requires that employees have worked for the employer for at least 12 months, and have worked a minimum of 1,250 hours. The employee, if eligible, is entitled to up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per 12-month period.”