Benefits and Compensation, HR Management & Compliance

Bill Proposes FMLA Leave for Domestic Abuse Victims; Also Extends FMLA Leave to Domestic Partners

Employers would be required to approve leave for domestic violence victims and their families under a bill proposed earlier this month by Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif.

H.R. 3151, the Domestic Violence Leave Act, would amend the Family and Medical Leave Act to guarantee unpaid leave to workers needing medical attention or legal assistance following domestic abuse, sexual assault or similar crimes.

The bill also provides leave to workers so that they can care for a family member — spouse, parent or child, including an adult child
— who has been abused.

The bill also extends all FMLA protections and benefits – not just those related to domestic violence — to domestic partners and
children of a domestic partner.

The bill only directs employers to give workers time off; the workers need not be paid.

Woolsey, a former human resources executive, has introduced similar measures in the past—most recently in June as part of a larger bill
aimed at creating healthy workplaces.

During a 2009 hearing, Woolsey heard testimony from a Washington, D.C., employee who was doused with gasoline and set on fire at the store where she worked.  Her supervisor had reportedly denied her request for time off to seek a restraining order.

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