By Erin Kelly | Gannett Washington Bureau
The five Democratic members of Arizona’s congressional delegation have all signed on as co-sponsors of a bill brought to them by a Scottsdale father seeking to ensure grieving parents can take time off work when a child dies.
Reps. Ron Barber and Kyrsten Sinema this week joined fellow Democratic Reps. Raul Grijalva, Ann Kirkpatrick and Ed Pastor in co-sponsoring the legislation.
None of the Republicans from Arizona’s congressional delegation has signed on as co-sponsors of the bill, which was inspired by a petition drive begun in 2011 by Barry Kluger, a Scottsdale resident whose 18-year-old daughter, Erica, died in a car accident in 2001. Kluger has led efforts to pass the legislation along with Kelly Farley, an Illinois father of two children who died as infants.
Statement by Kaine Fisher, head of Rose Law Group Family Law Dept.
“I think most parents are supportive of the idea behind the legislation – even business owners who might also be parents. It makes absolutely no sense that a parent gets unpaid time off (without fear of being terminated) when a child is born but not in the tragic event of that child’s death.”
If you’d like to discuss family law, contact with Kaine Fisher, director of Rose Law Group Family Law Department, kfisher@roselawgroup.com.
