I 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 956

To amend the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 to allow employees 

to take, as additional leave, parental involvement leave to participate 

in or attend their children’s and grandchildren’s educational and extracurricular activities and to clarify that leave may be taken for routine 

medical needs and to assist elderly relatives, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 27, 2003

Mrs. MALONEY (for herself, Mr. FROST, Mr. CROWLEY, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. 

NADLER, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. NORTON, Ms. 

MILLENDER-MCDONALD, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. 

OWENS, and Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, 

and in addition to the Committees on Government Reform and House 

Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL

To amend the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 to 

allow employees to take, as additional leave, parental 

involvement leave to participate in or attend their children’s and grandchildren’s educational and extracurricular activities and to clarify that leave may be 

taken for routine medical needs and to assist elderly 

relatives, and for other purposes.
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1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Family and Medical 

5 Leave Enhancement Act of 2003’’. 

6 SEC. 2. ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEE. 

7 Section 101(2)(B)(ii) of the Family and Medical 

8 Leave Act of 1993 (29 U.S.C. 2611(2)(B)(ii)) is amended 

9 by striking ‘‘less than 50’’ each place it occurs and insert10 ing ‘‘fewer than 25’’. 

11 SEC. 3. ADDITIONAL LEAVE FOR PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT. 

12 (a) LEAVE REQUIREMENT.—Section 102(a) of the 

13 Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (29 U.S.C. 

14 2612(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

15 ‘‘(3) ENTITLEMENT TO ADDITIONAL LEAVE FOR

16 PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT.—

17 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to section 

18 103(f), in addition to leave available under 

19 paragraph (1), an eligible employee shall be en20 titled to a total of 4 hours of leave during any 

21 30-day period, and a total of 24 hours of leave 

22 during any 12-month period to participate in or 

23 attend an activity that—

24 ‘‘(i) is sponsored by a school or com25 munity organization; and 
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1 ‘‘(ii) relates to a program of the 

2 school or organization that is attended by 

3 a son or daughter or a grandchild of the 

4 employee. 

5 ‘‘(B) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this para6 graph: 

7 ‘‘(i) SCHOOL.—The term ‘school’ 

8 means an elementary school or secondary 

9 school (as such terms are defined in the 

10 Elementary and Secondary Education Act 

11 of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.)), a Head 

12 Start program assisted under the Head 

13 Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.), and a 

14 child care facility licensed under State law. 

15 ‘‘(ii) COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION.—

16 The term ‘community organization’ means 

17 a private nonprofit organization that is 

18 representative of a community or a signifi19 cant segment of a community and provides 

20 activities for individuals described in sub21 paragraph (A) or (B) of section 101(12), 

22 such as a scouting or sports organiza23 tion.’’. 

24 (b) SCHEDULE.—Section 102(b)(1) of such Act (29 

25 U.S.C. 2612(b)(1)) is amended by inserting after the sec-
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1 ond sentence the following: ‘‘Leave under subsection 

2 (a)(3)(A) may be taken intermittently or on a reduced 

3 leave schedule.’’. 

4 (c) SUBSTITUTION OF PAID LEAVE.—Section 

5 102(d)(2)(A) of such Act (29 U.S.C. 2612(d)(2)(A)) is 

6 amended—

7 (1) by striking ‘‘under’’ and inserting the fol8 lowing: ‘‘under—

9 ‘‘(i)’’; and 

10 (2) inserting before the period at the end the 

11 following: ‘‘; or 

12 ‘‘(ii) subsection (a)(3)(A) for any part 

13 of the 24-hour period of such leave under 

14 such subsection’’. 

15 (d) NOTICE.—Section 102(e)(1) of such Act (29 

16 U.S.C. 2612(e)(1)) is amended by adding at the end the 

17 following: ‘‘In any case in which an employee requests 

18 leave under subsection (a)(3)(A), the employee shall pro19 vide the employer with not less than 7 days’ notice, before 

20 the date the leave is to begin, of the employee’s intention 

21 to take leave under such subsection.’’. 

22 (e) CERTIFICATION.—Section 103 of such Act (29 

23 U.S.C. 2613) is amended by adding at the end the fol24 lowing: 
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1 ‘‘(f) CERTIFICATION FOR PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT

2 LEAVE.—An employer may require that a request for

3 leave under section 102(a)(3)(A) be supported by a certifi4 cation issued at such time and in such manner as the Sec5 retary may by regulation prescribe.’’. 

6 SEC. 4. PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT LEAVE FOR CIVIL SERV7 ANTS. 

8 (a) LEAVE REQUIREMENT.—Section 6382(a) of title 

9 5, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end 

10 the following: 

11 ‘‘(3)(A) Subject to section 6383(f), in addition to 

12 leave available under paragraph (1), an employee shall be 

13 entitled to a total of 4 hours of leave during any 30-day 

14 period, and a total of 24 hours of leave during any 12-

15 month period to participate in or attend an activity that—

16 ‘‘(i) is sponsored by a school or community or17 ganization; and 

18 ‘‘(ii) relates to a program of the school or orga19 nization that is attended by a son or daughter or a 

20 grandchild of the employee. 

21 ‘‘(B) For the purpose of this paragraph: 

22 ‘‘(i) The term ‘school’ means an elementary 

23 school or secondary school (as such terms are de24 fined in the Elementary and Secondary Education 

25 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.)), a Head Start 
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1 program assisted under the Head Start Act (42 

2 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.), and a child care facility li3 censed under State law. 

4 ‘‘(ii) The term ‘community organization’ means 

5 a private nonprofit organization that is representa6 tive of a community or a significant segment of a 

7 community and provides activities for individuals de8 scribed in subparagraph (A) or (B) of section 

9 6381(6), such as a scouting or sports organization.’’. 

10 (b) SCHEDULE.—Section 6382(b)(1) of such title is 

11 amended by inserting after the second sentence the fol12 lowing: ‘‘Leave under subsection (a)(3)(A) may be taken 

13 intermittently or on a reduced leave schedule.’’. 

14 (c) SUBSTITUTION OF PAID LEAVE.—Section 

15 6382(d) of such title is amended by inserting before

16 ‘‘, except’’ the following: ‘‘, or for leave provided under 

17 subsection (a)(3)(A) any of the employee’s accrued or ac18 cumulated annual leave under subchapter I for any part 

19 of the 24-hour period of such leave under such sub20 section’’. 

21 (d) NOTICE.—Section 6382(e)(1) of such title is 

22 amended by adding at the end the following: ‘‘In any case 

23 in which an employee requests leave under subsection 

24 (a)(3)(A), the employee shall provide the employing agen25 cy with not less than 7 days’ notice, before the date the 
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1 leave is to begin, of the employee’s intention to take leave 

2 under such subsection.’’. 

3 (e) CERTIFICATION.—Section 6383 of such title is 

4 amended by adding at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘(f) An employing agency may require that a request 

6 for leave under section 6382(a)(3)(A) be supported by a 

7 certification issued at such time and in such manner as 

8 the Office of Personnel Management may by regulation 

9 prescribe.’’. 

10 SEC. 5. CLARIFICATION OF LEAVE ENTITLEMENT. 

11 Section 102(a)(1) of the Family and Medical Leave 

12 Act of 1993 (29 U.S.C. 2612(a)(1)) and section 

13 6382(a)(1) of title 5, United States Code, are each amend14 ed by adding at the end the following: 

15 ‘‘(E) In order to meet routine family med16 ical needs, including transportation of a son or 

17 daughter or a grandchild for medical and dental 

18 appointments for annual checkups and vaccina19 tions. 

20 ‘‘(F) In order to meet the routine medical 

21 care needs of elderly individuals who are related 

22 to the eligible employee, including visits to 

23 nursing homes and group homes.’’. 
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1 SEC. 6. DEFINITION OF GRANDCHILD. 

2 (a) NON-CIVIL-SERVICE EMPLOYEES.—Section 101 

3 of the Family and Medical Leave Act (29 U.S.C. 2611) 

4 is amended by adding at the end the following new para5 graph: 

6 ‘‘(14) GRANDCHILD.—The term ‘grandchild’ 

7 means a son or daughter of an employee’s child.’’. 

8 (b) CIVIL SERVICE EMPLOYEES.—Section 6381 of 

9 title 5, United States Code, is amended—

10 (1) in paragraph (5)(B), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

11 the end; 

12 (2) in paragraph (6)(B), by striking the period 

13 at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

14 (3) by adding at the end the following new 

15 paragraph: 

16 ‘‘(7) the term ‘grandchild’ means a son or 

17 daughter of an employee’s child.’’.

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