Family and Medical Leave Act
The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 is a United States labor law allowing an employee to take unpaid leave due to a serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform his job or to care for a sick family member or to care for a new son or daughter (including by birth, adoption or foster care).
The law recognizes the growing needs of balancing family, work, and obligations and promises numerous protections to workers. Generally, the Act ensures that all workers are able to take extended leaves of absence from work to handle family issues or illness without fear of being terminated from their jobs by their employers or being forced into a lower job upon their return.
The act also applies to all U.S. government employees and state employees.
Source: Wikipedia.org: Family and Medical Leave Act 
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