The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), enacted in 1993, is a federal statute that requires that public agencies and private employers with 50 or more employees provide eligible employees with the right to take family and medical leave in certain circumstances. Generally, the FMLA requires employers to permit eligible employees to take up to twelve weeks of unpaid leave in any twelve-month period for the birth and care of a newborn child, for the placement of a child for adoption or foster care, to care for the employee’s child, spouse or parent with a serious health condition, or for the employee’s own serious health condition.
