As the 14th anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) approaches and the Administration reconsiders the law, National Partnership for Women & Families President Debra L. Ness will join Senator Christopher Dodd when he announces his plan to introduce legislation that would allow working families to care for the family they love without losing benefits associated with the job they need at a news conference at

12:30 p.m., Thursday, February 1
Room SC-115
U.S. Capitol

The news conference will also feature two workers who have used the FMLA to care for their families.

Senator Dodd is the original author of the FMLA, which was signed into law on February 5, 1993. He worked tirelessly for eight years and through two Presidential vetoes before ultimately leading the FMLA through Congress to passage and seeing it signed into law 14 years ago. The National Partnership conceived, wrote and championed the law.

Despite the law’s success, key provisions may be rolled back. In December, the U.S. Department of Labor issued a “Request for Information” on the FMLA. The Department recently extended the deadline for filing comments until February 16.

Since 1993, more than 50 million Americans have taken unpaid time off to care for their loves ones or recover from their own serious illness. Now more than ever, working families struggle to care for their young children, their aging parents and themselves, while balancing the demands of carrying a job in order to make ends meet.