Federal Managers Association

FMA Working for You

• FMA Endorses Legislation to Protect Annual Leave for All Feds - October 1, 2020
• On Wednesday, September 30, Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) introduced the Federal Worker Leave Fairness Act (S. 4777), legislation that would protect accrued use-it-or-lose-it annual leave for all federal employees when a national pandemic prevents them from taking off of work. FMA worked with Sen. Hirono and her staff in crafting the bill and strongly endorses it.
  
  
  FMA National President Craig Carter offered this statement, included in Sen. Hirono's press release upon introduction:
  
  
  “FMA is proud to endorse Senator Hirono’s bill, which would provide certainty to all feds that the use-it-or-lose-it annual leave they dutifully earn throughout the year will not be unjustly forfeited due to unusual and unexpected circumstances, like this pandemic, that are completely out of their control. Senator Hirono is a strong friend of feds and we appreciate her leadership on this issue on behalf of all federal employees.”
  
  
  Hirono was joined by Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Patty Murray (D-WA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Ben Cardin (D-MD), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MD) as cosponsors of H.R. 4777. The bill has been referred to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-WA) introduced identical legislation, H.R. 8457, in the House of Representatives. FMA urges Congress to consider and pass S. 4777 and H.R. 8457.
  
  
  To read Sen. Hirono's full press release, please click here. To follow the progress of the Federal Worker Leave Fairness Act, please click here.

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