Amend the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to make leave available to employees whose minor children become ill with a health condition that requires the child to be removed from school or day care for any period of time.
Currently FMLA leave is only available if the child remains ill for more than three calendar days, and receives treatment from a health care provider.
Parents of children who are sick for less than three days are not legally entitled to take job-protected leave to care for their children. This places many parents in the intolerable position of having to choose between caring for their children, and keeping their jobs.
The FMLA should be amended to allow parents of minor children to take FMLA leave to care for a sick child regardless of the duration of the illness.