U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) on Oct. 11 introduced the bipartisan Fair Access for Individuals to Receive (FAIR) Leave Act.
S. 3593 would ensure that married couples who work for the same employer receive equal amounts of leave under specific qualifying reasons under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), according to a summary provided by the senator’s office.
“The FMLA is in need of modernization, especially when it comes to leave opportunities afforded to new parents and families,” Sen. Ernst said. “Our bipartisan legislation — the FAIR Leave Act — is a win for our growing families and will provide equitable leave for working parents regardless of their employer.”
S. 3593, which has three original cosponsors, including U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO), would permit eligible spouses working for the same employer to each take up to 12 work weeks (24 total) of unpaid leave in a 12-month period to care for a newborn or seriously ill parent and when adopting a child.
If enacted, S. 3593 also would allow eligible spouses working for the same employer to each take 26 weeks to care for a covered U.S. military service member who suffers from a serious injury or illness.
“This commonsense fix will ensure that all Missouri families are granted the leave they deserve in order to take care of their families without fear of losing their job,” Sen. McCaskill said. “And it’s especially important this fix will help military families taking care of sick or injured service members.”
According to Sen. Ernst’s statement, S. 3593 is designed to provide more overall, effective leave for American families by proposing to repeal a provision that limits the amount of leave that spouses working for the same employer may take for some, but not all, FMLA-qualifying leave reasons.
S. 3593 has been referred to the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee for consideration.