And The Responses...

From the Senator’s Office:

Dear Ms. Wilkins,

Thank you for contacting Senator Merkley regarding the Family and Medical Leave Act. The Senator asked me to reply to you and tell you, first, congratulations on the adoption of you new son and secondly, that you make some interesting points regarding the Act.  I will forward your email to the Senator’s legislative staff for their consideration. Input such as yours is an important part of the legislative process and the Senator appreciates the time you took to bring this to his attention.

From my HR Department:

Hi Jill,

Thank you for your email. Feedback regarding our policies is always good. I will be forwarding/sharing this email with the director of benefits to let her know of your concerns regarding the adoption policy.  At the present time, you are correct that you are eligible for (10) days off from the time you have custody of your child. From there you can apply for FMLA for 12 weeks, which is unpaid time. You can also use any vacation that you have as well.  I’m sorry I don’t have any other news for you, but I will forward this email on.

Am I just crazy to think that the majority of logical people would be "ok" with a bill supporting equality to adoptive parents? There is no reason for adoptive parents to be treated unfairly when it comes to family time. I wish family mattered a bit more in the USA.

Here is a good article (The Case for Paid Family Leave:) http://www.newsweek.com/id/210252