THE FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE ACT OF 1993 — ITS PREDICTED VERSUS ACTUAL IMPACT

The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 was the first bill signed into law by President Clinton after taking office in 1993. The law, which took effect on August 5, 1993, requires employers with 50 or more employees to provide up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to employees for childbirth, adoption, or family or personal illness. Employees are guaranteed their jobs or an equivalent position upon their return from leave. Prior to the FMLA's passage, the US was the last industrialised country in the world to require employers to provide family leave.