Family and Medical Leave Act

The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) is a federal law that provides unpaid leave of employment for workers.  The reasons that an employee may utilize the FMLA are due to serious health conditions from which the employe cannot perform his or her job, to care for sick family or to care for a new child from birth, adoption or foster care.  The United States Department of Labor regulates the FMLA.

Signed into law by President Clinton in his first term, the FMLA became law on August 5, 1993.  This important law established requirements for employers to provide protected leave for employees who might have lost their jobs for taking a leave of absence prior to the FMLA.