U.S. President Barack Obama speaks at the White House about the Iraq situation in Washington June 19, …
By Mark Felsenthal
WASHINGTON
(Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Friday will announce a rule that
makes legally married same-sex couples eligible for benefits under the
Family and Medical Leave Act in all 50 states, a White House official
said.
Currently, legally
married couples are eligible for those benefits if they reside in a
state in which same-sex marriage is legal. Obama is directing the
Department of Labor to propose a rule extending the FMLA rights even to
states where gay unions are not legal.
The rule is being issued as Attorney General Eric Holder announces the
results of a review of U.S. laws in the wake of the landmark 2013
Supreme Court Windsor decision that held that the survivor of a same-sex
couple could claim the federal estate tax exemption for surviving
spouses.
The decision
forced the federal government to recognize same-sex marriages in states
where it is legal and has paved the way for the Obama administration to
take steps to expand the legal rights of gay couples.
The Family and Medical Leave Act allows employees to take unpaid, job-protected leave for family and medical purposes.
Holder is due to issue a review on Friday of how the more than 1,000
different federal rights and obligations linked to a marriage or a
spouse are affected by the Windsor decision.
Obama on Tuesday said he would sign an executive order barring federal
contractors from discriminating against employees based on their sexual
orientation, but he also told gay rights activists they need to keep up
the pressure on Congress to pass a broader law.
In February, Holder announced widespread changes within the Justice
Department to benefit same-sex married couples, such as recognizing a
legal right for them not to testify against each other in civil and
criminal cases.
(Reporting By Mark Felsenthal; Editing by Ken Wills)
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