Family Leave Bill Advances

WASHINGTON — Employees of large companies would be allowed to take unpaid, job-protected family and medical leaves under a controversial bill approved today by the House Education and Labor Committee.

The 21-11 vote came after several hours of debate, some of it angry, over whether the federal government should tell employers what benefits they must give workers. Under the proposal, firms of at least 50 employees would have to offer up to 10 weeks of unpaid leave over a two-year period to workers with a newborn, newly adopted or seriously ill child, or seriously ill parent. Employees with serious medical conditions of their own would be entitled to up to 15 weeks of unpaid leave over a year’s time.