Senate approves Family Military Leave Act

OLYMPIA — Life for members of the armed forces and their families is tough enough without having to worry about whether or not a civilian employer will give a military spouse time off when their partner is on leave. But today, the Senate took a vote to help ensure that military families can to spend more time together.

Sen. Steve Hobbs, D-Lake Stevens, took up the cause by sponsoring Senate Bill 6447 to establish the Family Military Leave Act.

SB 6447 allows employees who are married to a member of the U.S. armed forces to take up to fifteen days unpaid leave while their military spouse is on Rest & Recreation Leave during a deployment of 12 months or longer on a combat tour, which Hobbs sees as important to military families and a crucial part of helping the morale of service members.

“R&R leave is more than vacation time for service members whose units are deployed,” said Hobbs, an Army veteran who saw service in Kosovo and Iraq. “That time off is necessary for them to rejuvenate, and every minute they can spend with their family is crucial to keeping their families intact and healthy – I think this will really help some military families by making sure that they get to spend more time together when they need it the most.”

SB 6447 passed on a vote of 47-0, and now proceeds to the House for consideration.

Return to Sen. Hobbs' home page