WASHINGTON – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema partnered with Republican Senator Joni Ernst (Iowa) to introduce the FAIR Leave Act—bipartisan legislation that ensures married workers who work at the same employer have access to full unpaid Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) benefits.
“Our bipartisan FAIR Leave Act makes commonsense fixes to Family and Medical Leave Act benefits, empowering Arizona families to spend time with a new child, care for a loved one, or provide support to an injured or ill servicemember,” said Sinema.
Under the current FMLA, a married couple who works for the same employer can be required to share a combined amount of time for unpaid leave to bond with a new child or care for an ailing parent. The Senators’ FAIR Leave Act corrects this by ensuring married couples who work for the same employer can each have the time off to which they are individually entitled.
Sinema’s legislation is supported by The Bipartisan Policy Center, Military Officers Association of America, Independent Women’s Forum, A Better Balance, National Partnership for Women and Families, 1000 Days, PL+US, National Education Association, and American Federation of Teachers.
Last Congress, Sinema cosponsored the bipartisan Paid Family Leave Pilot Extension Act to extend a two-year tax credit for employers who offer paid parental and medical leave programs for their employees.
