Senator Dodd, author of the landmark Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and Chairman of the Subcommittee on Children and Families, today raised concerns about new regulations to the FMLA proposed by the Department of Labor:

“I continue to remain concerned that the Department of Labor (DOL) did not have sufficient data beyond mere anecdotes to issue new rules.  In addition, at a time when we should be supporting working families, not hindering them, and helping businesses retain first-rate employees, not lose them, I am at a loss concerning some of the Department of Labor's new proposed regulations. The struggle to keep a job and care for your family is one that reverberates through our society: why is this Administration intent on making it more challenging for families and for businesses alike?  I am confident that the DOL will hear from employees and employers with concerns about their recommendations in the weeks to come.  The FMLA has allowed more than 60 million Americans to benefit from its protections and it should be expanded to reach many, many more and provide wage replacement.  I look forward to hearing directly from the Department on Wednesday at a hearing on this subject that I’m chairing, and to an intense debate over the proposal in the weeks to come.”

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