Graham co-sponsors bill to extend medical leave for military families
Doug Abrahms
The Greenville News
The following are excerpts from an article in the Greenville News.
WASHINGTON — Military families would be offered up to six months of unpaid leave, without the risk of job loss, to take care of wounded soldiers under bill co-sponsored Tuesday by U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.
Some family members who have taken care of seriously injured service members have lost their jobs, according to the South Carolina Republican and other supporters of the legislation. The bill would extend the Family Leave Act to military families that would require employers to guarantee their jobs for up to six months.
The burden of the Iraq war has fallen hard on the service members and their families, Graham said.
“This bill gives the chance of the many to come to the aid of the few,” he said. “The unsung heroes of this war are military families.”
More than 370 South Carolina military personnel had been wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan as of July 21, according to Pentagon data.
