Legislation would expand protections under the Family Medical Leave Act to include a wider range of caregivers
WASHINGTON – Today, on the 32nd anniversary of the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper joined nine of his Senate colleagues to introduce the Caring for All Families Act. The bill modernizes FMLA by updating the definition of family to include a broader range of caregiving relationships covered by FMLA’s protections and leave for small needs like doctor’s appointments.
“We need to expand family medical leave to better support caregivers across the country,” said Hickenlooper. “Workers taking care of family members like siblings or grandchildren deserve the same protections as someone caring for a spouse.”
There are roughly 50 million unpaid family caregivers in the United States, 61 percent of which maintain a job outside of their caregiving duties. Notably, most family caregivers provide at least 20 hours of care each week, with many caregivers providing support to children as well as to aging family members. Women compose approximately 60 percent of family caregivers, and often face significant challenges including loss of retirement savings and lower potential lifetime earnings.
Specifically, the Caring for All Families Act would:
- Update FMLA’s definition of family to include a domestic partner, parent-in-law, aunt, uncle, sibling, adult child, grandparent, grandchild, son- or daughter-in-law, and other significant relationships
- Guarantee that parents and other family caregivers have the ability to take time off to attend a medical appointment or school function, such as a parent-teacher conference, without risk of losing their jobs.
The Caring for All Families Act is endorsed by the following organizations:
National Partnership for Women & Families, National Organization for Women, MomsRising, National Employment Law Project, National Women’s Law Center, Equal Rights Advocates, Center for WorkLife Law, Women Employed, Legal Aid at Work, A Better Balance, NJ Citizen Action, NJ Time to Care Coalition, The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), NC Families Care Coalition, Kansas Breastfeeding Coalition, Missouri Jobs with Justice, Paid Leave for All, Family Values @ Work Action, Caring Across Generations, Shriver Center on Poverty Law, United For Respect, Family Values @ Work, Mother Forward, MANA, A National Latina Organization, Family Forward Oregon, National Council of Jewish Women, Abortion Action Missouri, Center for American Progress, The Arc of the United States, National Education Association, Main Street Alliance, National Association of Social Workers, National Alliance for Caregiving, Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), Reproductive Freedom for All, AFT, American Association of University Women (AAUW), Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy, and Institute for Women’s Policy Research.
Full text of the bill is available HERE.
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