This year Congress passed and President Bush signed into law important amendments to the Family Medical Leave Act. Employers with 50 or more employees are by now very familiar with the 12 weeks of unpaid leave which may be taken under certain circumstances by their employees.

In addition to the existing categories for which up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave may be taken under the current version of the FMLA, leave may be taken for any "qualifying exigency" after notice is receivd by the family of a service member of a call to active duty or if the service member is already on active duty. What a exigency is intended to mean is unknown at this time as the term is undefined in the amendment .

The amendment further provides for up to 26 weeks of unpaid leave in a 12 month period for the spouse, son, daughter, parent, or "next-of-kin" of a member of the Armed Forces who is undergoing medical treatment, rehabilitation, therapy, or is temporarily disabled, among other reasons listed in the amendment.