As the nation’s unpaid leave law – the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) – turns 25, the country is in the midst of an extraordinary, long-overdue reckoning about gender equality. To secure a future in which all women and all people can live and work with dignity, the country needs policies that value women and care – including, at last, paid family and medical leave. That is why, on the anniversary of the signing of the FMLA on Monday, lawmakers, business leaders, advocates and the public are coming together for a special congressional event to mark 25 years of the FMLA and highlight the need for a national paid family and medical leave law. The event will feature legislative champions, advocacy organizations in the 350+-member coalition fighting for paid leave, and states and businesses that are leading the way.

WHO:

• U.S. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D – Calif.)
• U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D – N.Y.), lead sponsor of the Family And Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act in the Senate
• U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D – Conn.), lead sponsor of the FAMILY Act in the House
• Debra L. Ness, president of the National Partnership for Women & Families, the organization that drafted and led the fight for the FMLA and is leading efforts to win paid leave today
• Saru Jayaraman, president of the Restaurant Opportunities Center United (ROC United), author and TIME’S UP activist
• Vicki Shabo, vice president for workplace policies and strategies at the National Partnership for Women & Families
• Additional members of Congress

WHAT: Congressional reception to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act and call for a national paid family and medical leave law

WHEN: 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. ET, Monday, February 5, 2018

WHERE: The Kennedy Caucus Room, 325 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C.

NOTE: Media must have a valid press credential and are encouraged to RSVP in advance to Sadie Kliner at skliner@nationalpartnership.org or 202-986-2600.