House adopts amendment to expand military maternity leave

The House late Wednesday adopted an amendment to the 2015 national defense authorization bill that would extend maternity leave for women serving in the military.

Adopted by voice vote, the amendment offered by Reps. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Kristi Noem (R-S.D.), would expand maternity leave for active-duty service members by an unpaid six weeks for a total of 12 weeks.

{mosads}Duckworth and Noem, who originally introduced the proposal as a standalone bill, said it would make the military’s maternity leave policies in line with the Family Medical Leave Act.

However, the measure would allow commanders the discretion to call service members on maternity leave back at any time to maintain unit readiness.