I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2589 
To amend the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 and title 5, United 
States Code, to permit leave to care for a domestic partner, parent- 
in-law, or adult child, or another related individual, who has a serious 
health condition, and to allow employees to take, as additional leave, 
parental involvement and family wellness leave to participate in or attend 
their children’s and grandchildren’s educational and extracurricular ac-
tivities or meet family care needs, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 15, 2021 
Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York (for herself, Ms. MENG, Ms. 
SPEIER, Ms. NORTON, Mr. EVANS, Mr. CARSON, Mr. GRIJALVA, and Mr. 
RASKIN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committees on 
Oversight and Reform, and House Administration, for a period to be sub-
sequently 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 and 
title 5, United States Code, to permit leave to care 
for a domestic partner, parent-in-law, or adult child, 
or another related individual, who has a serious health 
condition, and to allow employees to take, as additional 
leave, parental involvement and family wellness leave to 
participate in or attend their children’s and grand-
children’s educational and extracurricular activities or 
meet family care needs, and for other purposes. 
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Family Medical Leave 
Modernization Act’’. 
SEC. 2. LEAVE TO CARE FOR A DOMESTIC PARTNER, SON- 
IN-LAW, DAUGHTER-IN-LAW, PARENT-IN-LAW, 
ADULT CHILD, GRANDPARENT, GRANDCHILD, 
OR SIBLING OF THE EMPLOYEE, OR AN-
OTHER RELATED INDIVIDUAL. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.— 
(1) INCLUSION
OF
RELATED
INDIVIDUALS.— 
Section 101 of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 
1993 (29 U.S.C. 2611) is amended by adding at the 
end the following: 
‘‘(20) ANY
OTHER
INDIVIDUAL
RELATED
BY 
BLOOD WHOSE CLOSE ASSOCIATION IS THE EQUIVA-
LENT OF A FAMILY RELATIONSHIP.—The term ‘any 
other individual related by blood whose close associa-
tion is the equivalent of a family relationship’, used 
with respect to an employee, means any person with 
whom the employee has a significant personal bond 
that is or is like a family relationship, regardless of 
biological or legal relationship. 
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‘‘(21) DOMESTIC PARTNER.—The term ‘domes-
tic partner’, used with respect to an employee, 
means— 
‘‘(A) the person recognized as the domestic 
partner of the employee under any domestic 
partnership or civil union law of a State or po-
litical subdivision of a State; or 
‘‘(B) in the case of an unmarried em-
ployee, an unmarried adult person who is in a 
committed, personal relationship with the em-
ployee, is not a domestic partner as described 
in subparagraph (A) to or in such a relation-
ship with any other person, and who is des-
ignated to the employer by such employee as 
that employee’s domestic partner. 
‘‘(22) GRANDCHILD.—The term ‘grandchild’ 
means the son or daughter of an employee’s son or 
daughter. 
‘‘(23) GRANDPARENT.—The term ‘grandparent’ 
means a parent of a parent of an employee. 
‘‘(24) NEPHEW; NIECE.—The terms ‘nephew’ 
and ‘niece’, used with respect to an employee, mean 
a son or daughter of the employee’s sibling. 
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‘‘(25) PARENT-IN-LAW.— The term ‘parent-in- 
law’ means a parent of the spouse or domestic part-
ner of an employee. 
‘‘(26) SIBLING.—The term ‘sibling’ means any 
person who is a son or daughter of an employee’s 
parent (other than the employee). 
‘‘(27) SON-IN-LAW; DAUGHTER-IN-LAW.—The 
terms ‘son-in-law’ and ‘daughter-in-law’, used with 
respect to an employee, mean any person who is a 
spouse or domestic partner of a son or daughter, as 
the case may be, of the employee. 
‘‘(28) UNCLE; AUNT.—The terms ‘uncle’ and 
‘aunt’, used with respect to an employee, mean the 
son or daughter, as the case may be, of the employ-
ee’s grandparent (other than the employee’s par-
ent).’’. 
(2) INCLUSION OF ADULT CHILDREN AND CHIL-
DREN OF A DOMESTIC PARTNER.—Section 101(12) 
of such Act (29 U.S.C. 2611(12)) is amended— 
(A) by inserting ‘‘a child of an individual’s 
domestic partner,’’ after ‘‘a legal ward,’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘who is—’’ and all that 
follows and inserting ‘‘and includes an adult 
child.’’. 
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(b) LEAVE REQUIREMENT.—Section 102 of the Fam-
ily and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (29 U.S.C. 2612) is 
amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) in paragraph (1)— 
(i) in subparagraph (C), by striking 
‘‘spouse, or a son, daughter, or parent, of 
the employee, if such spouse, son, daugh-
ter, or parent’’ and inserting ‘‘spouse or 
domestic partner, or a son or daughter, 
son-in-law, daughter-in-law, parent, par-
ent-in-law, grandparent, grandchild, sib-
ling, uncle or aunt, or nephew or niece of 
the employee, or any other individual re-
lated by blood whose close association is 
the equivalent of a family relationship with 
the employee, if such spouse, domestic 
partner, son or daughter, son-in-law, 
daughter-in-law, 
parent, 
parent-in-law, 
grandparent, grandchild, sibling, uncle or 
aunt, or nephew or niece, or such other in-
dividual’’; and 
(ii) in subparagraph (E), by striking 
‘‘spouse, or a son, daughter, or parent of 
the employee’’ and inserting ‘‘spouse or do-
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