Most of us are understandably focused on what our new president can
and will do to help boost the economy, maintain national security from
terrorism, conclude the war in Iraq and other issues of national
importance. Yet, there are a myriad of issues on a president's agenda
that will have a more personal effect on our lives and on the lives of
our families. Here is an insightful review of President Obama's family
law agenda. I offer this as information only and not as an endorsement of any particular political view!
- Expand the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA):
The FMLA covers only certain people who work for employers with 50 or
more employees. Barack Obama and Joe Biden will expand the FMLA to
cover businesses with 25 or more employees, and to cover more purposes
including allowing: leave for workers who provide elder care; 24 hours
of leave each year for parents to participate in their children's
academic activities at school; leave for workers who care for
individuals who reside in their home for 6 months or more; and leave
for employees to address domestic violence and sexual assault.
- Encourage States to Adopt Paid Leave:
President Barack Obama will initiate a 50 state strategy to encourage
all of the states to adopt paid-leave systems. Obama and Biden will
provide a $1.5 billion fund to assist states with start-up costs and to
help states offset the costs for employees and employers. - Expand High-Quality Afterschool Opportunities:
Barack Obama and Joe Biden will double funding for the main federal
support for after school programs, the 21st Century Learning Centers
program, to serve one million more children. They will include measures
to maximize performance and effectiveness across grantees nationwide. - Expand the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit:
The Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit provides too little relief to
families that struggle to afford child care expenses. Barack Obama and
Joe Biden will reform the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit by making
it refundable and allowing low-income families to receive up to a 50
percent credit for their child care expenses. - Protect Against Caregiver Discrimination:
Workers with family obligations often are discriminated against in the
workplace. Barack Obama and Joe Biden will commit the government to
enforcing recently-enacted Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
guidelines on caregiver discrimination. - Expand Flexible Work Arrangements:
Barack Obama and Joe Biden will address this concern by creating a
program to inform businesses about the benefits of flexible work
schedules for productivity and establishing positive workplaces;
helping businesses create flexible work opportunities; and increasing
federal incentives for telecommuting. Obama and Biden will also make
the federal government a model employer in terms of adopting flexible
work schedules and permitting employees to petition to request flexible
arrangements.
- Strengthen Fatherhood and Families:
Barack Obama has re-introduced the Responsible Fatherhood and Healthy
Families Act to remove some of the government penalties on married
families, crack down on men avoiding child support payments, ensure
that support payments go to families instead of state bureaucracies,
fund support services for fathers and their families, and support
domestic violence prevention efforts. President Obama will sign this
bill into law and continue to implement innovative measures to
strengthen families. - Support Parents with Young Children:
Barack Obama and Joe Biden will expand programs like the successful
Nurse-Family Partnership to all low-income, first-time mothers. The
Nurse-Family Partnership provides home visits by trained registered
nurses to low-income expectant mothers and their families. Researchers
at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis concluded that these
programs produced an average of five dollars in savings for every
dollar invested and produced more than $28,000 in net savings for every
high-risk family enrolled in the program. The Obama-Biden plan will
assist approximately 570,000 first-time mothers each year.
Some family law matters relating to sexual minorities include:
- Support Full Civil Unions and Federal Rights for LGBT Couples:
President Obama supports full civil unions that give same-sex couples
legal rights and privileges equal to those of married couples. Obama
also believes we need to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and enact
legislation that would ensure that the 1,100+ federal legal rights and
benefits currently provided on the basis of marital status are extended
to same-sex couples in civil unions and other legally-recognized
unions. These rights and benefits include the right to assist a loved
one in times of emergency, the right to equal health insurance and
other employment benefits, and property rights. - Oppose a Constitutional Ban on Same-Sex Marriage:
President Obama voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment in 2006
which would have defined marriage as between a man and a woman and
prevented judicial extension of marriage-like rights to same-sex or
other unmarried couples. - Expand Adoption Rights:
President Obama believes that we must ensure adoption rights for all
couples and individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation. He
thinks that a child will benefit from a healthy and loving home,
whether the parents are gay or not.