Press Release 1 Dodd 
  Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Hillary Clinton (D-NY) today lauded Senate approval of their amendment 
that would allow the family of wounded military personnel to take up to 6 months of unpaid leave, 
expanding the benefits provided under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which currently 
allows 12 weeks of leave. The approval of this amendment came a week after the release of a report 
by the President's Commission on Care for America's Returning Wounded Warriors urging Congress 
to extend FMLA for up to six months for a family member of a service member who was severely injured 
in combat. The bipartisan Support for Injured Servicemembers Act is also cosponsored by Senators 
Dole, Graham, Mikulski, Chambliss, Brown, Salazar, Cardin, Menendez, Kennedy, Boxer, Reed, 
Murray, Harkin, Ben Nelson, and Lieberman.   

  \I believe that Congress has few higher priorities than the safety and well-being of America's 
combat heroes. The very least we owe them is our total support for their family and medical needs\ 
said Dodd. \After the seven years, three presidents, and two vetoes it took to get the Family Medical 
Leave Act enacted into law, I am pleased to see that the debate is no longer about whether Americans 
have the right to Family and Medical Leave, but rather, about how it can best be expanded. I welcome 
the contributions of my colleagues, including Senator Clinton, to this debate, and am grateful 
for the Senate's unanimous approval of this critically important measure. Our troops and their 
families deserve nothing less.\  

  \The families of wounded soldiers face extraordinary demands in caring for loved ones injured 
in service to our nation. Currently, these spouses, parents and children can receive only twelve 
weeks of leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act. All too often, this is just not enough time, 
as they struggle to care for loved ones grappling with traumatic brain injuries, severe physical 
wounds, and other problems upon returning home from Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere. Extending 
the Family and Medical Leave Act for these families is a step we can take immediately that will make 
a real difference. It is the right thing to do for our men and women in uniform and their families who 
have made tremendous sacrifices on our behalf,\ said Senator Clinton.  

  Senator Dodd is the author of the landmark Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which has allowed 
more than 50 million workers to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave if they are ill or if they need to 
care for a sick family member or new child. Most recently, Senator Dodd introduced the Family Leave 
Insurance Act of 2007, legislation that will provide paid leave to workers for the birth or adoption 
of a child, to care for a child, spouse or parent with a serious illness or to care for their own serious 
illness. Senator Dodd has been a long-time advocate for the health and safety of U.S. troops. From 
leading the effort to ensure that our men and women in uniform have the safety equipment they need, 
to fighting to restore National Guard readiness, Dodd has worked tirelessly on behalf of American 
servicemen and women.   

  Senator Clinton has been a champion of the Family and Medical Leave Act, which has helped more than 
50 million Americans since President Clinton signed it into law in 1993. Senator Clinton has worked 
to build on this landmark law, cosponsoring the Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act and the Healthy 
Families Act, which expand workers' paid sick leave to care for a child or an aging parent. As New 
York's first Senator to serve on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Clinton has made 
it one of her top priorities to ensure that our brave men and women in uniform and their families have 
the healthcare and support they need, most recently securing a series of measures in the Dignified 
Treatment of Wounded Warriors Act approved unanimously by the Senate.  

Press Release 2 Clinton 
 July 26 2007 Clinton Mikulski Announce Bill to Extend Family and Medical Leave for Families of Wounded 
Soldiers Legislation Addresses Key Recommendation of Commission on Care for America s Returning 
Wounded Warriors Washington DC Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barbara Mikulski today announced 
that they are introducing legislation to extend the Family and Medical Leave Act FMLA for up to six 
months for spouses and parents of soldiers who have been injured in combat The Clinton Mikulski 
bill addresses a key recommendation of the Commission on Care for Americas Returning Wounded Warriors 
The families of our servicemen and women face extraordinary demands as they struggle to care for 
loved ones injured in service to our nation It is clear that they are not receiving the support they 
need and this is a step we can make immediately that will make a real difference Our men and women in 
uniform have made tremendous sacrifices on our behalf and we have a responsibility to do everything 
we can to make sure they have the care and support they need said Senator Clinton Our military men 
and women make great sacrifices and honor their country by volunteering to serve Their families 
share the burden of this war We must recognize and honor their service and sacrifice not just with 
words but with deeds said Senator Mikulski Thats why Im fighting for the spouses and children of 
our true American heroes to have extended leave from their jobs when their loved ones are injured 
fighting a war for America because service members and their families have enough to worry about 
This bill would do a tremendous amount to support the families that are doing so much to support our 
country said Debra L Ness President of the National Partnership for Women Families the organization 
that drafted and led the fight to pass the Family Medical Leave Act We have long known that workers 
need and deserve job protected time off when family members face serious health problems It is most 
appropriate to extend that leave for families of service members injured in combat We urge Congress 
to move quickly to pass the Clinton Mikulski bill In its review the Commission found that 33 percent 
of active duty 22 percent of reserve component and 37 percent of retired separated service members 
report that a family member or close friend relocated for extended periods of time to be with them 
while they were in the hospital In addition 21 percent of active duty 15 percent of reserve component 
and 24 percent of retired separated service members say friends or family gave up a job to be with 
them or act as their caregiver To address this situation and help support these caregivers the Commission 
recommended strengthening family support programs by extending the Family and Medical Leave 
Act FMLA for up to six months for spouses and parents of seriously injured soldiers The Clinton Mikulski 
bill will enact this recommendation Their bill will amend the Family and Medical Leave Act to allow 
up to six months leave for a family member of a service member who has a combat related injury and meets 
the eligibility requirements in the law The Commission on Care for Americas Returning Wounded 
Warriors was established in March 2007 with the specific goals of conducting a comprehensive review 
of services the government currently provides to our wounded warriors and delivering recommendations 
to the President Secretary of Defense and Secretary of Veterans Affairs As New York s first Senator 
to serve on the Senate Armed Services Committee Senator Clinton has made it one of her top priorities 
to ensure that our brave men and women in uniform have the healthcare and support they need She secured 
a series of measures in the Dignified Treatment of Wounded Warriors Act approved unanimously yesterday 
by the Senate Senator Clinton has introduced legislation to improve the detection assessment 
and treatment of traumatic brain injury and expand support systems for members and former members 
of the Armed Services with traumatic brain injury and their families Senator Clinton has also introduced 
legislation to help ensure wounded soldiers receive the disability benefits they need and deserve 
and to further protect military family financial benefits She has pressed for an independent investigation 
of the conditions at Walter Reed and called for a new GI Bill of Rights to once again honor the service 
and invest in the future of our men and women in uniform She authored legislation signed into law 
last year that required an audit of widespread pay issues wounded soldiers are facing and was recently 
released by the Army showing continuing problems Senator Clinton has fought to ensure servicemembers 
have the body armor they need She also played a key role in securing into law access to TRICARE military 
health benefits for all drilling members of the National Guard and Reserves and their families 
Senator Clinton has been a champion of the Family and Medical Leave Act which has helped more than 
50 million Americans since President Clinton signed it into law in 1993 Senator Clinton has worked 
to build on this landmark law cosponsoring the Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act and the Healthy 
Families Act which expand workers paid sick leave to care for a child or an aging parent