FMLA bill would have huge impact on small firms

As of right now, if your company has fewer than 50 employees, you don’t have to offer workers job-protected FMLA leave. But new legislation is aiming to change all that.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) just introduced an FMLA expansion bill titled, the “Family Medical Leave Enhancement Act.”

The bill would extend FMLA protections to employees working at companies with more than 25 employees.

40% of workers not covered

Why should more employers be required to offer FMLA protections? According to Rep. Maloney:

“The landmark Family and Medical Leave Act sought to end that insecurity by guaranteeing 12 weeks of unpaid leave. Unfortunately, nearly 40% of workers are not covered by that law because they work in businesses with fewer than 50 employees. The Enhancement Act will expand the FMLA’s protections to businesses with 25 or more employees, giving millions more people the peace of mind that if they need to take sick leave they won’t lose their job.”

The bill would also provide up to 24 hours of unpaid “parental involvement and family wellness leave” annually.

This time could be used by parents and grandparents to attend parent-teacher conferences for their children, grandchildren or other family members as well as allow parents or grandparents to take family members to routine medical or dental appointments. We’ll keep you posted.