Recently, two bills were introduced in the House of Representatives that would expand the scope of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA). On April 29, 2009, Rep. Carol Shea-Porter introduced legislation, H.R. 2161, that would reverse certain regulations issued by the Department of Labor (DOL), which became effective January 16, 2009. Also, on April 28, 2009, Rep. Carolyn Maloney introduced legislation, H.R. 2132, that would amend the FMLA to permit leave to care for a domestic partner as well as other individuals in an employee's extended family. In a press release, Rep. Shea-Porter explained that the purpose of H.R. 2161 is to "restore the Family and Medical Leave Act to its original intent and spirit." Shea-Porter also said that her bill "is needed in order to reverse the most restrictive of these new regulations." According to the press release, the bill would...

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