Congress expected to revisit expanded FMLA leave for military families

This morning's New York Times is reporting that Congress is expected to quickly revisit the National Defense Authorization Act that President Bush vetoed at the end of last year. The House and Senate overwhelmingly passed the legislation, which would, among many other things, amend the FMLA and provide up to 6 months of leave to family members (i.e., spouse, son, daughter, or parent) of combat-injured service members to care for their loved ones. The President vetoed it out of a concern that a provision in the bill could lead to legal claims by victims of Saddam Hussein's government against Iraqi assets held in U.S. banks. The Times quotes Congressional aides, who say that Congress will likely send the bill back to the Armed Services Committee, where the disputed provision can quickly be corrected. Congress hopes to have the measure brought back for a final vote by the end of the week. These issues should not affect the FMLA amendments in the bill, and with the amendments, President Bush is expected to sign it.