Larson Celebrates the 25th Anniversary of the FMLA
Washington D.C. – Today, Congressman John B. Larson (CT-01) released the following statement in regards to the 25th anniversary of the national Family and Medical Leave Act signed into law by President Clinton in 1993.
"After 25 years, the Family and Medical Leave Act remains a significant achievement for working families. Employees shouldn't have to worry about losing their job because of an illness or to care for a newborn child or a sick loved one. We owe a debt of gratitude to Dr. Edward Zigler and Dr. Matia Finn-Stevenson of Yale's Edward Zigler Center in Child Development and Social Policy for the immense strides we've made on family leave and childcare policy. I was fortunate enough to work closely with Dr. Zigler in the 1990s as a Senior Fellow at what was then called the Bush Center, and his dedicated work on these critical issues is truly inspiring. However we must continue to help working families; unpaid leave is not realistic for many working parents trying to make ends meet, and may not even be available as an option. In Connecticut, 75% of households with children have both parents working and more than half of mothers are their family's top earners. I am heartened by Ivanka Trump's efforts to form a coalition on a solution to paid leave. But there is more work to be done to ensure that all families are being supported across the nation. That is why I am a proud to be a cosponsor of Rosa DeLauro's paid leave bill, the FAMILY Act," said Larson.
As the President Pro Tempore of the Connecticut State Senate, Congressman Larson helped pass the nation's first family and medical leave legislation. On this important anniversary of the enactment of the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, Congressman Larson wanted to recognize the following individuals who were instrumental in Connecticut passing its law:
Frederica Gray, Executive Director of CT's Permanent Commission on the Status of Women.
Patricia Russo, Permanent Commission on the Status of Women.
CeeCee Woods, Research Director for CT Senate.