Jackson/Photo by Campaign
U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson joined forces with Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) this week to introduce legislation aimed at assisting military families during times of tragedy.
The Elaine M. Checketts Military Families Act of 2021, would allow servicemembers to keep pre-approved family leave in the tragic event of a child’s death. According to Jackson’s office, the military’s current policy terminates servicemembers’ family leave if their child passes away.
In a statement, Jackson said the legislation is needed to support U.S. military families.
“Servicemembers deserve time to grieve the loss of their child instead of being forced to return to work,” Jackson said. “Civilian federal employees already have the option to keep their pre-approved leave, so I firmly believe the bravest among us deserve the same option. I will work with Democrats and Republicans alike to bring this commonsense policy to fruition in the FY22 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).”
The bill has also been introduced by Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) in the U.S. Senate.