and lauren underwood of illinois you. this is about an hour and a half. [applause] >> good afternoon. what a great crowd here inside of this building, and i'm sure it's a great crowd watching at home as well, thank you so much, we want to welcome everyone here to the francis burgum's building in the united states department of labour. on behalf of myself and the group we, want to welcome you here today for this amazing event. today, we mark the 30th anniversary of the family medical leave act. we are working on pay. it is going to keep that up. there thank you very much. we have a lot of great people here and i want to start by thanking all of you here in the room to hear today. while the advocates, the folks that have been in this fight since the beginning, those will be the want to be new to the, fight those advocating for so many other briefings that we are advocating here in the department of labor. thank you for what you do every single day and continuing to push and advocate on behalf of working people in the country. it's really important we have advocates, people that are fighting for working people in this country's. i want to thank you all for that. also want to thank our special guest here today, not paying attention when i came on. talking to the second gentleman, somebody have gotten to know as a friend and certainly he's achieved outstanding things in his life. he's always put his family first and so i want to thank the second gentleman. secretary of health services, our administrative leader on health and well-being and is certainly a great partner. and as the attorney general, whatever is done, it's always more advocating on pavlov people. where she, right in front. i also want to thank her, and i want to thank her for coming here today to be with us. and also congressman lauren underwood of illinois, both powerful voices for working families in the united states congress, and in the united states of america. the first female elected president of the nfc ceo. thank you, madam president. jocelyn fry, president of the -- longtime leader in this issue and also including working in the white house, with first lady michelle obama,, thank you for being here as well today. all of the work of advocates here today, kris garcia, trisha gallagher, thank you so much for sharing your stories. i already mentioned, julie xu, i want to thank deputy director sue for her partnership and friendship. and the team that enforces the other protections. lisa gomez, director of the women's bureau. assistant secretary tanner williams, jean rodriguez, and i'm sure left a lot of people out, but i want to say thank you to all of you. the reason that i think it's important to recognize this is that the work and i get happier to talk about, and the work that the second gentleman and secretary get here, it's to talk about really focusing that work with us every day. i think is really important to acknowledge the people it can be for, us and the amazing work they do every day. so thank you. f mla is a critical part of our efforts to de-build an economy that's works for all people. everyone should be able to take leave when they needed. there are many valid reasons to take leave. they all have one thing in common, it's called living life. it's about supporting families. we are all human beings. we get health conditions, surgery, mental illness, and other things. we need leave and we need to be able to support our families. people have complex pregnancies, they give birth, they need a newborn, all of these different things that we talk about and many other opportunities but people need to leave for. we asked military members to put themselves at risk, they need leave. they are covered by fmi les. we need to help them, they drop everything to help us when we need them, we need to be able to the same thing for parents, spouses, child. when you leave. in, all we need this granted for 5 million times. think about that for a minute, 500 million times. this law has helped families get through these situations, it through difficult situations when otherwise they would not have had that opportunity. you think about the opportunities, with this law has done for many people in america. it shows that this law has and is, and wise, and still is needed. it makes a real difference. here's a story about how we work here at fmi. jerry brown is a grocery store worker, and last year he got seriously ill. he went on leave and was fighting for his life. before he got better, is employee fired him. he got in touch with the department of labor. found multiple violations. over $12,000 in wages, almost $5,000 a medical expenses. they brought a message, and they need to follow the law. these cases happen every single day. not every outcome is the same. we need to talk to the businesses to know the importance of this. these are more common for workers, including low wage workers, women, black workers, hispanic workers. they won't say anything, they're afraid to say something. they're worried about being fired. they don't know where to turn to. that shouldn't be happening. we've got our work cut out for us, and what we need to do. we're raising awareness, both among employees and workers in the united states of america to let them know that this war exists, this law goes to that business. fmla is the law, it's here to help you, but we also have to acknowledge something else. many people can't afford to take unpaid retirement. on the 30th anniversary of fmla, i joined vice president biden and vice president harris, everything that they need for it to pass. we need medical leave for all workers in the united states of america bag. this is something i know we can do. when i took office as mayor of boston in 2014, one of the first things i did was look at the paid policies. there is no parental leave. we created the first ever six-week pay leave in the city of boston. two years later, we were able to double up to 12 weeks. the budget, people said, it's important for us to do. it implied to non union workers in city law at the time. you have to negotiate a contract. every single union after that simply asks for it, it was not a negotiation. it comes in the contract as we move forward here. but i said it's good, it's important for us to do it. do you know it's remarkable? i didn't bankrupt the city of boston like other businesses said it would. as a matter of fact, we had a huge surplus, we still do. we were able to treat the employees fairly, we got physically stronger because the workforce got stronger, and that's what painfully policies are all about. they're not about leaving people out of -- their vote keeping people in the workforce. it's about overcoming challenges, keep supporting their families. ultimately, it's about dignity, the dignity of working people, it's about respecting workers rights. it's about why people work in the first place, taking care of their family so they can have a better life. as a president, said it's about building an economy from the bottom up in middle out. it's not just of people having a good job, it's about having a good job with good benefits, and respect the workers in our country. we need to respect workers in our country. it's really important. one of the other things i'd like to quickly say, and i was told about this, in the beginning days of this administration, there were a lot of conversations about people resigning, the great resignation, leaving work, all of these opportunities. there weren't opportunities because the other opportunities were better for them. the other opportunities provided more money. the other opportunities understood that their respective workers. it was nothing new. it is something that workers in the past can do but now they had opportunities in options. if you think about it now. you think about similar companies that i've spoken to, when they offer paid family leave, their attention is longer. their improvement is better. the respect for the employees is positive. the workers are happier. they have an opportunity if they need to do what they need to do to take care of their families and other members of their families. that something that's really important. and so today, we celebrate the 30th anniversary of fmla. it's really important, and i know that we all know that it's important. we can't underscore the importance of this law 30 years ago, because nothing existed for employees 30 years ago. for 30 years, 500 million times, this law has helped americans and workers in this country to be able to support your family. you can take away from the importance of this law. you can build on what this law is intention was, and has changed 30 years later. but we can't forget that. we need to reform our commitments to the force, raising awareness about rights, and stigma about mental health taking leave, and human paid leave for every worker. i want to say again, thank you so much for being here, i've had the opportunity, and i talked about it in my time, it's many of you that led the way, and with detainment city hall in boston, you let yourselves especially. i want to thank you for that. it's my privilege not to introduce somebody that you will know, the second gentleman of the united states of america, doug emhoff. pride has been, devoted father, he also has experience in a complementary as an attorney. -- i've had the opportunity to travel with him, and to see him firsthand with the audience, an audience talking about issues that he cares about. he talks about it publicly, privately, he takes this jab very seriously, and he wants to make sure that he gets the message of this administration, his, wife -- killed at them now the importance of these issues. that connection but i'm talking about is rooted in the family, and the love of his family, how he takes that love to the people of the united states of america. it's a devotion the models every single day. i'd like to ask all of you to please join me in giving a warm welcome, and this is not his first time in the department of labor, he's been here many times, he's probably halfway up the ramp, back down the rim. but welcome to the department of labor. again, second gentleman of the united states. >> mattie walsh, i love saying that. and you said it, he's such a leader, both for the working folks of the united states, but folks here in our country, in our administration, and i'm really happy to call you a good friend and as a vice president of this committee. thank you so much for everything you do. [applause] he gave my speech. i'm going to reiterate a lot of those points, i've got a couple of nuance. as he said, for 30 years, the family and medical leave act has made a massive difference in the lives of millions of americans, both 500 million times, it's just been incredible over the last 30 years. as we, know the act currently allows americans to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave after the birth of a child, to care for a loved one who is sick, all without losing existing benefits, and so many other things that have developed over these 30 years. the law changed how we work, and how we carefree our loved ones. today, laying the groundwork for the fight that we are still fighting, and must fight. paid family and medical leave for all in america. [applause] what does the existing law for -- what does it mean for their everyday lives? it means the parent doesn't have to choose between keeping a job, and caring for their newborn. it means that an injured or seriously ill service member, or veteran, knows that they can rely on a loved one to take care of their needs. it means that a person living with a serious health condition can take some time off from work to heal, or to see necessary medical care. i want to say thank you to all of the folks in this room, the advocates, the trailblazers, who fought so hard in order to make this law a reality 30 years ago, and continues to fight for paid family and american medical leave today, so thank you for all that you've done, and thank you for all you've continued to do. it means so much. along with so many of you in this room, and advocates around the country, we've had leaders, as the secretary said, at the white house, last week, they understood the importance of putting working families first. both republicans and democrats came together to recognize our nations workers, families, and the realities that every day americans face. since then, the department of labor in the division has helped workers understand the rights under this law. the d.o.l. has also provided support to employers to help them comply with the law. 30 years ago, our country united around the belief that family and medical leave would create a stronger, better future for everyone. as we celebrate, we know there is more work to be done. i know that under the leadership of this administration, president biden, vice president harris, we will continue to push to finally get paid family and medical leave once and for all. it's the right thing to do! [applause] too many parents! too many parents are unable to care with their children without receiving a paycheck. too many people are still working well seriously ill. and too many women are unable to take time off after the birth of a child. let's be clear. and nobody should fear losing their job because their families or their own health. again, it's not right. speaking from personal experience now, we need to normalize taking leave, we need to normalize, it's okay to take leave in this hardworking society of ours. especially -- four men. i encourage men out there to take leave when you need it. there should be no stigma. not a sign of weakness to take time to care for your family or a newborn. this is something i regret. two children, 28 and 23 years ago, i didn't do it. i have regretted it every single day since. i wish i would've done it. i am encouraging men out there, take the leave when you can. it's important. paid family leave, medical leave is an issue for all of us. we should all feel comfortable talking about it and taking that leave. so let's just do that. president biden and vice president harris, and my wife -- [laughter] i like saying that, sorry, they are taking steps to address the challenges we have here. the vice president, as i know and you know, has always been a fierce advocate for ensuring that families have the resources they need. she continues to urge the business community to establish childcare priorities and policies. she champions them when they do that. during the height of the pandemic, vice president was a leading voice for working mothers who were forced to leave the workforce due to lack of care options for their children, which is just not fair. too many women had to take a step back, it was not fair. the vice president spoke out for childcare providers right on the front lines, many of whom run small businesses and many of whom are women of color. the vice president said time and time again that when women succeed, are a whole country succeeds and when workers are a power, our whole country is stronger. i am proud to say, we've had some success recently. the president signed into law the pregnant workers act. [applause] the pump for nursing mothers act. [applause] and significant investments in childcare all through the end of year omnibus. but we are not done. we have all said, it we will keep saying it. we need to pass a national family and medical leave. we need to do it. it is the right thing to do. hey, thank. [laughter] [applause] this administration will continue to fight for investments in childcare and other resources that will help working families and women. we know that progress does not happen by accident, it is hard fought and it takes time. but we know that -- the lives of working families better is worth fighting for, and a lot of you have done that for your whole careers and you will keep doing that. now it is my privilege to introduce another leader in our administration, our country. someone who has been fighting for families for his entire career. i have got to see that close-up because he's also a fellow californian, a former congressman, and my attorney general. he actually came after kamala harris when she left for the senate. now they are both here in the cabinet. he and i, like secretary waltz, we do a lot of work together. because the work secretary walsh does and the work that secretary -- does just effects millions of people every day lives, and that's the kind of work i want to be doing a second gentleman. he is fighting for your rights. he is fighting for women's health care. he is here with you and with us to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the family medical leave act to honor working families. please join me in welcoming the secretary of the department of health and human services, my good friend secretary becerra. [laughter] [applause] >> we should give it up one more time for a tie who takes a backseat to no one when it comes to championing some of the most important causes of our time. the second gentleman has been there on so many issues. i know, because the department of health and human services has had to count on him when there been crisis, where people have been gunned down in mass shootings, he has been there. when it comes time to make sure that all people have an opportunity to work and get paid their full wages, he has been there. i hope you will recognize that we are very fortunate to have him. not just a great team in the vice president and the president of the united states, but the first lady, and of course, the second gentleman have been absolute stars when it comes to championing the values that this president and this -- one more time, if you might, but before he walks out the building. [applause] >> i want to thank secretary walsh for inviting me to be with you. this is special for me. i will get to hand it off to deputy secretary julie su, a partner in crime with me on so many things. jessica looman, who has been instrumental in making impossible for us to make the fight for paid family leave, for -- at the department of labor as well on behalf of women. where is rosie? rosa? the battle scars and that i have. the stitches go from my arm to the chairwoman's arms because we've been in so many fights together. it is a phenomenal tree to see that she's actually taking the time to be here. congresswoman underwood is also here. i want to thank her for being a champion so quickly and taking on the mantle of so many different leadership roles. i know that jocelyn frye, with the national partnership for women and families, will probably have a chance to make you fight even harder. i understand that kris garcia, one of our workers will be saying some remarks, and schuler, when we were in the trenches back as, well i think it is fabulous that the leader of the labor movement is someone who understands that not all the labor movement has been able to come fully forward and it's great to see a woman as the leader of the labor movement. liz, it is fabulous to see you today. to have the department of labor not shy about inviting those leaders of the labor movement. [applause] i'm going to say something i've said all my life. i was a brother to three sisters. i am the father to three daughters, i have been a congressman, attorney general, and now secretary in places where most of the folks that i count on look just like you. becau to everyone who is making this fight because it's time for fm allay two point oh to move us forward to get us to paid family leave. i want to thank each and every one of you because it's not just today that you are, here you were there before 30 years ago. i know some of you were there and many have been there since. most importantly, to those of you who have taken the time to be with us, thank you for the fight, and thank you for getting us over the finish line, because we are going to get there. we are going to get there, it's just a matter of when. when we get over that line, i know the same faces will be among that crowd as well. so thank you everything you do every day to get us over the finish line on paid family leave. thank you. [applause] i just got to mention a couple things. i hope secretary waltz grants me a little bit of a personal privilege here. first, i've got to say to him, it feels phenomenal to have a former labor leader as the secretary of the department of labor. it's kind of strange to have to say that, but it is a tribute and a treat to our presidents. it makes someone like me very proud. my father, if he were still here, would say, i'm very proud to see marty walsh as our secretary of labor for two reasons. one, because he came out of the labour -- international labor's union, which is my father's union. [applause] my father is a pension member of the labor union, he was before he passed. and the second reason i think he'd be very proud of marty walsh is because he'd say, and just like me, as well, he talks with an accent. [applause] [laughter] either, way i think we are very proud that marty, you are the man who carries that torch for so many people. it is good, it feels authentic to have the secretary of the department of labor be the guy, the person who leads the fight on behalf of the working men and women. one of my very first votes as a member of congress, in fact, the very first big vote i cast in the house of in 1993 -- family medical leave act. that was one of my big votes. [applause] i remember that. i remember that. it was so important that, as a freshman member, i instituted a policy at least in my office where we provided eight weeks of paid family and medical leave to my staff. small as it was, we still made sure that, if you took that leave, you got some pay as well. it is, time after 30 years of still struggling and fighting for that, we still have so many americans who don't have that. i believe that we will win this. and that's why it's so important for me to have a chance to be here with you. at the end of the day, it's about dignity, what we are talking about, right? we want to really make this real for everyone. it cannot be real for everyone if you say, go ahead, take some time off. then you say, i would love to, i know -- under the law i can't, i can, but i can't afford to. how do you have peace of mind if you can't really take advantage of what the law gives you? that's what we are fighting right now with health, so many americans who don't have access to health care. peace of mind means you are confident that when you go in when you can't the next day, whenever it is to work, you will give your all. peace of mind means that, when you go to work, you don't have to worry about where your kids will be. they will have a safe place, whether it is school, they care. you want to have that peace of mind. there is no way you have peace of mind of someone in your family, a loved one, is terminally ill, is gravely sick with covid, is a need of someone's attention and you can't really be there. peace of mind is where we need to go. until we tell people you can take that time off and don't worry, it won't hurt your pocketbook, we will not have that peace of mind for all americans. and so i hope you will fight with me to make sure we give all americans, not just paid family leave, but that peace of mind that must come with it, to say that we aren't this for the american public. finally, as i said, if mla two point oh, it is time. this is america, it is embarrassing to know that so many other countries in the world have gone way beyond us. somehow, we still leading the pack but not on this. we have work to do. i know the secretary at the department of labor will push as hard as he can. i believe that, if we do this right, we will give everyone a chance to have that peace of mind. we will give everyone the respect they need. my parents, only because my dad was a union member, did he have peace of mind. a guy with a sixth grade education who spoke with that accent, a mother who came from mexico when she was 18, when she married my father. neither one of them had a chance to get that college degree. they had to earn what they had and do it with their hands the best they could. i will tell you that, if something were to happen that would require their attention, they would've been wondering, there would've been no peace of mind. to my father, who is now passed, that my mother who is a ripe 89 and still doing her walks, i say to each and every one of you who are championing family and medical leave, do not stop. there are people who look to you. they pray a rosary for you at night. they thank you for everything you do. at the end of the day, you are doing what is american, what is part of our american values. you are making sure you respect someone who worked hard, as hard as they could, and you are dignifying that work. thank you on behalf of those parents, the son of a very proud immigrant family telling you that, we are going to do this, we will cross that line together. we will make it happen because you have a leader in the department of labor who will make sure. with him is that deputy secretary who is another partner in crime from california, my julie su has been awesome to work with over the years. she is going to make sure that, before she leaves, she will have carved her name into every room into the department of labor in some way and she will leave a mark. let me now introduce to you -- julie su. [applause] >> thank you so much, secretary becerra. the fact that one of your first acts was to vote for the fm l.a. and now you stood here as our nation secretary of health and human services is another reason for us to celebrate today. ,, -- 30 is one of those ages where you are no longer a youngster so you can look back on some accomplishments you've made. but you also have a lot of room to grow and build on what you've done. and so it is with the fmla. as the mother of two daughters who are now 19 and 22, i'm incredibly thankful that i was able to take leave after the birth of my children. both because i liked having time with my babies, and because being a new mom is really hard. it's hard emotionally, physically, mentally. i also needed leave when my mother was sick. she was in the hospital. i stayed with her in the hospital. when she came home and lived with me for a while and needed her wounds cared for and her iv monitored, i hadley. i have been very lucky to be able to make choices that were right for my family. and also, where my request for leave were unquestioned. so many workers, as has already been set, have not had that choice. when the needs of a job are at odds with or in competition with the needs of your loved ones, working people, let's be real, mostly working women, are faced with incredibly untenable choices. finding balance is really impossible, as are the peace of mind secretary becerra talked about, and the sense of security that secretary walsh talked about. that's why the passage of the fmla was so essential. american workers work up every day to fill two goals. getting the job done and providing for the daily needs of the household. the commitment to work and family is really deeply interconnected. the fmla, as has already been said, allows parents to bond with and care for their children. it acknowledges the significant challenges and demands young children and aging parents place on working families. it recognizes that when we are sick and in need of medical care, we need time to heal. we need to do all that without losing our jobs. even though those ideas are common sense, the fight for basic workers rights has never been easy. first introduced in 1984, the right to job protected leave was repeatedly blocked. but workers and their advocates did not give up. in fact, they, you, organize. you pushed at the state and local level. in fact, before the fmla wasn't acted, nearly half of states had enacted family and medical leave laws of their own. these state and local laws helped build momentum and demonstrate what could be done at the national level. it galvanized coalitions that were instrumental in pushing for national law. and it showed federal lawmakers how such laws actually benefited their own constituents and helped them to recognize that a federal fmla would benefit workers across the country while also, as secretary walsh mentioned, about the role of employers, that it would level the playing field for businesses. the history of the fmla passage provides us with a lesson on the important work, sure, and elected leaders, but of workers and advocates, on the strategy of shaping hearts and minds until something that once felt impossible becomes possible. and, on the power of finding common ground. organizations and individuals have different interests united around this fundamental notion that the health and well-being of working families mattered more than there are differences. and because of that, millions of families have benefited from the fmla over the past 30 years. under the fmla, it is estimated that over 50% of black, latino, and asian american workers in our country, and 45% of indigenous, pacific islander, or multiracial workers have access to job protected leave. now, these numbers are clearly nowhere near high enough, particularly when the strongest predictors of intent -- in eligibility for fmla our low wages and family poverty. but, today, we celebrate making what seemed impossible possible. while we celebrate what happened 30 years ago, it's important to know that much has happened since. workers and advocates did not stop at the fmla. in the 30 years since, you have continued to fight and win, actually securing paid leave in states and cities around the country. including in my home state of california, where millions of workers now have a guaranteed right to wage replacement if they need to take time off to care for themselves, a new child, or a loved one. so, to the workers advocates in the room, on behalf of secretary walsh and all of us in the administration, we thank you. we know you continue to do what must always be done in order to make progress. organize, raise up your voices, build a wave of public sentiment, and bring it to bear in the halls of power to make change. so today is just not just a celebration of the law, at the celebration of worker power, of women's power, of organizing, and advocacy. yeah, that's. [applause] you've already heard it said, president biden, vice president harris had made it clear that this administration will continue to fight for the needs of workers, including paid family medical leave. together, i know we will continue this fight. speaking of the people and organizations who made the fmla possible, and who continue to push us all to imagine a world where more is possible, i want to introduce our next speaker, and the amazing joscelyn frye, president of the national partnership for women and families. [applause] >> hello. thank you, deputy secretary su, i love saying deputy secretary su, for that very kind introduction. secretary walsh and, really, the incredible, amazing, entire labor department team, thank you so much for bringing us together, for hosting this amazing event. to the second gentleman, secretary with sara, and all the members of the administration, thank you for your work in support of working families. representative delauro and underwood, who i know will be with us, i can't say thank you enough for all that you do for all of us every day. and to all of you, all the advocates who are here president, and who are watching, thank you for all that you do. it's really a privilege to be in the fight with you on a daily basis. it is really a privilege to be here to mark this milestone 30th anniversary. enacting the family and medical leave act was groundbreaking. it fundamentally changed the conversation about care in work by establishing an essential baseline standard to help workers move their work and family obligations. before the fmla, an employer could fire somebody who wanted to take time off for caregiving. or they could decide not to hire workers who they thought were more likely to have care responsibilities, like many women. since 1993, americans have relied on the fmla on more than 460 million occasions to care for themselves or their loved ones, which is an extraordinary achievement. i want to spend my time today talking a little bit about history. the history of the fmla, is something that we have the national partnership deeply cherish. in the 19 80s, we were still known as the women's legal defense firm, led by our then president, judy lipton. [applause] and our work included a particular focus on combatting gender based employment discrimination. our legal director at the time, donna, wrote in the early draft of what would become the fmla, in part to ensure that workers would not face discrimination, simply because they had or might have care responsibilities. but the history of the fmla is not simply a story about one person or one organization. it is a story about the power of coalitions. the fmla coalition was diverse, dedicated, persistent. it collectively told a story about the need for leave. it included organized labor -- to make the case clear that access to leave was a basic labor standards issue. there were groups focused on constituencies with unique care needs, like aarp representing seniors, and the disability rights education defense funded representing americans with disabilities, to deepen understanding of the diverse needs, care needs of workers. they were faced based organizations, including the u.s. conference on catholic bishops, to connect the dots between workplace standards and broader values that we say we hold around care and fairness. there were leading researchers and even business organizations to push back on the narrative that argued that jobs would be lost, the economy would blow up, businesses would be harmed, and all those opposition arguments. and there were those fighting for the rights of children, for parents, for health care workers. of course, women all sharing their personal stories. it was this very broad, diverse coalition that helped to secure bipartisan fmla champions in congress and mobilize public support across the country. even so, it took nine years to enact the fmla. it survived two presidential vetoes before president bill clinton signed it into law until 1993. but we knew that the fmla was only the first step. and now the next step is to secure comprehensive paid family and medical leave for every worker. while today is a moment for celebration, it is also a moment for rededication. what we learned from the history of the fmla, is that our success in enacting paid leave will be deeply connected to the breath and depth of our coalition. fortunately for us, we have that coalition in place. we have groups like moms rising, family support, the national domestic workers alliance, of the black women's roundtable, and the other nearly 30 groups that now make up the steering committee of the incredible paid leave for all coalition. all of them lifting up the diversity of care experiences and care needs. we have brilliant research and policy and legal analysis from organizations like the better balance and center for american progress, the center for economic policy research, the center for law and social policy, the institute for women's policy research, and new america's better life lab, to make the economic case. we have mainstream -- small business majority to make the business case. we have partners like they coalition with groups like national women's law center, seiu, campaign for family friendly economy, -- coming across generations to make the case for robust, comprehensive, care investments. we have the breath of the civil rights community, like the leadership conference on civil rights to elevate paid leave as a racial and economic justice issue. and most importantly, we also have the groups who were there at the beginning. the breadth of the labor community, the arp, the disability community like groups like the arc who were there at the beginning and will be there at the end. the national partnership will be there as well because we don't want to be left out. as part of this really powerful coalition to push collectively for progress we all know we sorely need. that is the power of the fmla's history. it is the power of the fmla's ongoing legacy today, which is still relevant, still relevant as it was 30 years ago and will be still relevant until we get it across the finish line. i'm very pleased to turn the program over to a leader who will be there for all those fights ahead, the incomparable president of the -- liz schuler. [applause] >> thank you so much, jocelyn. incomparable? well, i like that. hello, everyone. thank you, secretary waltz, who is not only my secretary of labor but my union brother. i am so proud and appreciate being included today. also, what a remarkable lineup. how do you believe and follow that? obviously, jocelyn, thank you for the history lesson. i think we are all reflecting and having secretary becerra here, deputy secretary julie su, administrator but looman, congresswoman both delauro and underwood are here, i know. i am proud to bring the voices of workers into this room. i am representing 12 and a half million working people 58 unions but all working people and i know we will hear from some workers, which i feel is the best spokesperson, spokespeople for these issues. i will say, i was 23, i'm adding my age right now, when this was passed, when it was signed into law. i was right out of college, i was an organizer with my local union, the brotherhood of electrical workers, sisterhood is implied. i was helping organize clerical workers from the general electorate and i just was looking at all of these powerful women fighting for all of us. i was just a lonely little organizer in portland, oregon. and i look to these powerful women, judy lippman was mentioned, and donna lent huff, debra-ness, might carry nest, bomb who is leading that women's group at the time and came out of the labor movement, i could go on and on about all these powerful women in the labor movement. but the point is, it was a coalition, and his jocelyn side. we can do this when we have all the pieces put together, we know how to do this. but i think about for 30 years, just logging through, battling it out, organizing, and then winning, which feels really good when we win. so that millions of women in particular, as we, know families could have a more balanced life and care for themselves and their loved ones and that inspired me than as a 23-year-old organizer, and it inspires me now as an almost 53-year-old leader in that labor movement. i will say that fmla stayed alive because of those tireless activists and thousands of others who told their stories. the power of storytelling and really showing up in these fights and the fmla state alive because we had politicians who puts good policy ahead of party. and the fmla state alive because activists, working people, and organized labor would not let it die. and because we knew that every person, every worker, every family, deserves that basic dignity. we knew our economy and country would be stronger for its. as much as today is a celebration, it also needs to be a reckoning. it needs to be a reckoning. we have been on this steppingstone for 30 years. 30 years! an entire generation of working people. this fight does not end here. this fight is more urgent than ever. because nobody should have to choose between taking care of a parent or relative or losing a paycheck, no new parent should have to choose between spending time with their new baby or making enough money to pay rent or buy groceries. i know there are some politicians in d.c. who take their paid at leave for granted. i would just, say open invitation, come talk to fast food workers, with me, who are dealing with us, hotel workers, marie status, meet the tens of millions of americans who wake up and make these choices every single day. then we can talk about why we are the only industrialized country in the world that has not yet figured this out. the fmla should remind everyone of one more thing before i wrap here, that the labor movement does not quit. 30 years ago, we fought alongside family leave activists until we got the fmla done. here we are three decades later, still standing shoulder to shoulder with activists on the ground fighting for paid family leave, fighting for affordable high quality childcare, and we are going to keep taking that fight to big business, special interests and we will keep organizing with our great partners in this administration. we will continue to deliver dignity and respect -- every working family in this country. thank you so much. [applause] it is not my pleasure to introduce the next speaker who works tirelessly to ensure workers are paid what they are owed and exercise their rights to take job protected leave when they needed, what a concept! please welcome principal deputy administrator for the wage and hour division, jessica looman. [applause] >> all right. thank you so much. okay, this is really cool. just putting that out there. to get the stand up here after so many great speakers, before some other great speakers, to get to work in the wage and hour division until the leadership of secretary walsh and deputy secretary su in the administration that cares about working people and working families. it's a huge privilege and an honor and a pleasure to really get to talk about fmla, and the role that we get the play in the wage and hour division in making sure that workers get those rights every single day. i was saying earlier that when people ask, what is our generation? it's some agency unaided parma, they know what the department of labor is because we are awesome, but the wage and hour division are part of this amazing organization, administration. what i say is, okay, i will tell you what my job is. my job is i get to wake up every single day and help 148 million workers in 10 million workplaces across this country. that's what we get to do. that's what the fmla is about. [applause] the fmla is a critical component of the work that wage and hour division gets to, do its foundational to our commitment to equity and empowering workers and working families. year after year, the wage and our divisions fmla resources are used by -- to better understand their rights and responsibilities. in case you have not checked it out our web page is our most visited web page for emily and gets visited almost 9 million times a year. there's 140 me -- we have 9 million people, you can do the math, that the department of labor still estimates that workers, particularly low wage workers and workers of color don't take leave, either because they are unaware of there but fmla tensions, they are concerned about being treated differently for taking leave and even though their job is protected under fmi law, they cannot afford to take unpaid leave. when they are unaware of their rights and afraid of repercussions, workers struggle. i would challenge and responsibility is to reach out, to connect with workers where they live in work to let workers know that they have rights and that we are here to help them when their rights are violated. across the country, in the wage and hour division is engaging in the stakeholders and community leaders, members that are all, here as well as in communities across the country. since the enactment, we have held trainings, wage and our opportunity trainings with over 1 million participants, our 200 local officers have developed innovative partnerships to connect underserved communities and last august we partnered with women's bureau and the eoc, some of our friends are with us here today, thank you so much for coming, we partnered to kick off a year-long event series on maternal health, emphasizing that expecting mothers have rights under but fmla and other laws. [applause] we are also here to make sure that employers, employees, and health care providers have the most up-to-date and helpful information they possibly can to support workers who need fmla leave. in the coming months, this is a kick off, by the way, in case you didn't know, this is and fmla kick off, the way we are thinking about celebrating and building on what the fmla has done for us over the last 30 years and what it needs to do for us in the future. we will continue to work on, with our sister agencies to -- an estate colors, on the challenges, to reduce stigma, and increase access. at the end of the day, the wage and hour division, one of our major responsibilities is that we are an enforcement agency. since the law was enacted, since the fmla wasn't acted, wage and hour has completed more than 60,000 fmla enforcement actions. we have health workers who were denied fmla leave, workers unjustly terminated for taking fmla leave, workers who faced discrimination were not restored to their same job or an equivalent job after their leave. and workers who lost their health benefits while on fmla leave. the wage and hour division's mission is to protect and enhance the welfare of the nation's workforce. we will continue every day to help make the promise of fmla a reality for the welfare of our workforce and the well-being of their families. the impact of the fmla over the last 30 years is reflected in the stories of workers who have exercise their rights to take a job protected leave to care for themselves and families. what is more important than being there, showing up for someone they love? you all heard from chris garcia on the video a little while ago. the experience of kris garcia illustrates the profound effect that fmla leave could have on workers and their families. i will tell you a little bit about chris. chris orgs for an auto parts store when his father required a quadruple bypass and he was repeatedly denied leave. he was given just a few days, for, precious days with his family for the surgery. when his father declined after the surgery, chris was told he could not take leave because no one else could cover his shift. chris received a call that no one wants to get. while he was in the middle of helping a customer at his job, the doctor called to ask chris about taking his dad off life support. in the end, chris was not able to provide comfort to his dying father or to grieve. it's hard to imagine a more heart wrenching and dehumanizing workplace experience. in contrast, several years later, chris was working for a wireless phone company when his mother was diagnosed with cancer. chris reached out to his manager. his manager immediately began to process for chris to take fmla leave, the manager worked with chris to provide intermittent leave to ensure chris could be with his mother as much as possible during her illness. when chris's mother's past, he was able to be with her. he could comfort her and tell her what a mom always wants the here, that he would be okay. chris was planning to be here with us today to share this experience about how he was able to use, fmla and also how he was not able to heavily. sadly, he was involved in a car accident last night. he is fine, really, he is fine. he wanted us to share that he wishes he could be here to speak to everyone in person. chris, you are in our thoughts. we are grateful that you are okay. it is now my honor -- [applause] it is not my honor to welcome our next speaker who has joined us today to share her story about taking job or take that leave and what it meant to her. please join me in welcoming to the stage moms rising member from chesapeake, virginia -- thank you. >> hello, everyone. it is a great event. thank you for having this. my name is -- i live in chesapeake, virginia, with my partner and my son who is four years old going on 16. and he recently finished cancer treatment and i'm also a proud member of moms raising. family leave is an issue so close to my heart and the protections provided by the family and medical leave act have been essential for my family. thank you for giving me this opportunity to share my story today. i work for a bank and like most working families we need our incomes to live our lives. that's why it was so grateful that when i gave birth to max, my employer provided 16 weeks of paid maternity leave. i could recover physically, adjust to a new life as a mom, bond with my baby. this time really did give me the opportunity to erica recover. when i return to work i was better positioned to focus on my job, succeed in my role, because i had that time to recover. becoming apparent, for me, was a dream come true. but it's no secret that the newborn period comes with a lot of challenges and steep expenses. i had no idea how i would have done if i did not have an income, if i had to go back early to the workforce. i don't think i would've been able to do it. this is why i'm so grateful. just 20% of private sector workers in the united states have access to any kind of paid leave from their employees. that is not right. it forces many families to take we -- make really hard choices. when i was expecting, a lot of you can relate to this, a lot of people ask you, what do you want the baby to be? what do you want the sex to be? we typically say, we just want a happy, healthy baby. that's what we want for our children. i couldn't have known that i would need family leave again just 18 months later when max was diagnosed with leukemia. all the world really turned upside down. no words can adequately describe how it feels to care for your baby as he battles cancer and undergoes chemotherapy. not to mention the overwhelming stress of keeping an immunocompromised baby safe during a raging pandemic. since max was diagnosed, i have needed time away from work to care for him as he battled for his health and his life. fortunately, i am covered by the family and medical leave act, which means i can take 12 weeks of leave each year to manage maxes treatment without worrying about losing my job, and just as equally important, my health care. that has been a critical lifeline for my family because without these protections or the ability to take unpaid leave, i may have needed to leave my job which a lot of families do. how would we have been able to pay the bills or cover we max's treatment? taking unpaid leave causes a significant strain into our families budget. the last thing you want to worry about is how to stay afloat financially. all in all, over the past two and a half years, i have probably taken about 12 weeks of fmla while max has battled leukemia. today, i'm so thrilled and relieved to tell you as of october of last year, he finished treatment. he's our survivor today and he is in remission. [applause] thank you. thanks. now i'm able to go with him to survivor ship clinic, where he gets monthly labs, physical exam, and referrals to a specialists, as needed. through all this journey, i feel incredibly lucky to have a flexible and supportive employer. luck should not have anything to do with it. no one should have to worry about losing their livelihood to be there for a loved one when they are needed the most. the family and medical leave act is an angel central foundation. so many workers are not covered. a lack of paid leave means families face many impossible challenges and threatens their financial security. as a member of momsrising, i have connected with so many parents who have faced similar challenges. our stories are similar. some stories are different. but the message is the same. we all deserve care. we all deserve time to care for our loved ones, for ourselves, in times of joy, in times of sorrow. i am proud to be part of a movement to raise awareness of the importance of family and medical leave and to fight for a brighter future for our kids, our families, businesses, and our economy. we can't wait another 30 years for paid leave. thank you. [applause] now it is my pleasure to introduce the next speaker, who has spent years working to secure paid family and medical leave. please welcome deputy director for the women's bureau, gayle goldin. [applause] >> thank you so much. thank you so much for sharing that powerful story. i know that just like ivonne, there are about 500 million similar stories of using fmla. it is so meaningful for us to take the time to hear it and thank you so much for being here. the fmla changes lives, as we've all been talking about this morning, and because of the fmla, people can keep their jobs and crucially, as ivonne said, they can also keep their health insurance when they need to care for themselves and their families, as deputy director of the women's bureau i know what this means for working women who are more likely to do the caregiving in their families. but i also know what it means for men. because if the fmla is truly gender neutral, every worker who meets the criteria is eligible for the same protections. true gender equity requires both that women have equal opportunity in the workplace, and that men have equal opportunity to provide care. [applause] and while the fmla was historic and an incredible accomplishment, as we've heard the president and vice secretary waltz, secretary becerra, the second gentleman, deputy secretary su, and all of us reiterate today, it was the first step. it is time for the next step, paid family and medical leave. currently, access to paid leave is not equitable. while women take more and longer leave for caregiving, they are also more likely to have to take that time unpaid. black workers have less access to paid leave, low wage workers are significantly less likely to have access to paid leave, and yet they are the least likely to be able to afford to take that time off. when leaves are paid, it does not just promote equity in theory, it happens in practice. men take more parental and caregiving leaves when it is paid. this continues to pay dividends for years down the line. fathers who take parental leave spare more time on thanksgiving, even after their leaves and. there are more -- many benefits of paid leave and they are well established. and these positive effects tend to be strongest for people of color and low wage workers, two groups very likely to overlap. over the past 20 years, states across this nation have created paid family and medical leave. i'm excited to say that, moments ago, the women's bureau launched a website about state paid leave laws. if you are and familiar with it, please check out our website for information about where they exist, research and data on them. when the family was only a handful of years, old i guess i was in elementary school, if we are talking about it being a 30 year old now, i had two experiences that changed my own life. i broke my back and became a mom. in one year, i needed fmla twice. i was so thankful that i wouldn't lose my job. but i also experienced firsthand the difference paid leave could make. over the years, i've heard from others about their own experiences, moms whose labor is turned into medical emergencies, that's who had to care for terminally ill children. spouses grappling with how to carry with another one with early onset alzheimer's. we all have joys and sorrows in our lifetime. and being there, being present when we are needed the most, and that's what this is all about. this celebration today was made possible by all of you, by your incredible voices, your stories, and, obviously, your tireless work. so thank you. it is my absolute joy and honor to introduce our next speaker, who has been an inspiration to me and, i'm sure, to many of you. she is a key reason we are all here today. a true champion for working women and their families, and of course, paid leave. please welcome congresswoman rosa delauro. [applause] >> thank you. thank you. wow. thank you. it's been an extraordinary couple of days, thinking back on just a couple days ago at the white house. that evening spent with you, jocelyn, the partnership and the throngs that were gathered there. and now this afternoon. as i reflect on this time, and i had this thought when i was sitting at the white house the other day. not after listening to a remarkable speech, president clinton and president biden, but the fact of being in that room and being in that room and with individuals who, 30 years ago, 30 years ago, understood that what families needed, what was going on in the lives american families, and, yes's, more for women at that time than men, but understanding that men could take advantage of this as well -- but understanding that the federal government had the ability, the strength, the power to be transformative in the lives of families, change their lives for the better, make sure that they could be where they were needed, where they were needed. about spoke so clearly and loud to me of what it takes to be leaders, and what it takes to transform our society. and that that's what this is all about. that's what that vision and collective vision, and engaging the power of the federal governments, and coming together from the outside and the inside, and making something happen that has transformed peoples lives. that is what government is about. that's what our founding fathers -- there were mothers, two, probably. but that's what they believed, and that we should press the edge of that envelope to make the institution do what it is supposed to do, to give opportunity for people in their lives. i think about myself in that context. you never know. when my father asked me what i wanted to be when i grew up, i told him i wanted to be a tap dancer. [laughter] god's honest truth. i probably would give it all up if i could be on the stage tap dancing. but i suppose you tap as fast as you can these days, secretary waltz. no, you do. i think about my own path. i think about the forces around my life that brought me to this place where i could participate in what has for me been the most remarkable experience of my life. to be engaged and involved in an institution and working with people who have that vision and understand why we serve, why we serve, for noaa reasons to make a difference for folks. i am so grateful to all of you for having me here this afternoon, and being with you, when jocelyn, the other night, with you, judy and others in the white house. you have to pinch yourself now and again. i suppose if you don't do, that it is time to go home. it's time to go home. i say a thank you to you, gayle. what is so wonderful about -- we will always fight for the women's bureau, i promise you, i promise you that, and i promised wendy that as well. you know, they've got to be coming for us but we are ready, we are ready. i just reflect on a year of being states and it are in rhode island and making rhode island a third state with paid leave. the first state to ensure that everyone who uses it has the right to return to work. i can remember going back to rhode island with david cicilline invited me to come and speak about family and medical leave. i said, my love to wendy who can't be here this afternoon, but her work with family values, the national network, grassroots coalitions won more than 16 you paid leave policies, new rights to 55 million workers and their loved ones. i sent my love to her as well. mister secretary, i don't know what to say. in italian we have that word sympathetic oh. when i met you in this incarnation, we are joined at the hip. you know that whatever i can do and before the department of labor, i am there for you every step of the way. i thank you so much for all of your efforts. recognizing secretary becerra, we sat in many meetings, leadership meetings, and all we had to do was look at each other in the eye and knew where we would be coming from and we could begin and end each other's sentences. wonderful for him to be here today. joscelyn, some of the other night said brilliant and gracious. and that you are, an unbelievable leader. i can remember battles when you were in the white house, fighting back and forth, not fighting, but we were strong words about what we were doing, what we were going to do. liz, what can i say? how wonderful it is to have u.s. president of the afl. wow. you know? life has changed, it really has, the environment has changed for all of us. ivonne, really, your story and the stories, that's what this is about, you are what this is about. your baby, max, it is what this is about. and got less even got less you for telling your story as well. jessica, thank you. it's a pleasure to work with you. we are going to do as many things as we can with child labor, with forced labor, with all these issues. we are going to help make the difference. i was first invited speaker pelosi to new haven so a gathering we had about paid leave. one woman who spoke, none of us can ever forget it, it was a long time ago, her name was eva, a bus driver. she spoke about her life and that she drove that bus. she would see women at the bus stop with their children. oftentimes, with tears in their eyes, with a child that was not well, or sick, but had to put them on the bus because she could not -- the mom could not take a day off, she would lose her job. and that story has stuck with me all of these years. but it is so typical of the millions, the 500 million stories that are out there today. i want to just say, and i will get to this part of it because you all know my story, but i think about you, judy, i think about dana, i think about the others who were engaged. you never let up. you never let up. you dealt with senator god, or anyone else, anyone else. and you know they slipped a lot of things into the legislation that others didn't know what was coming. but it got in under the wire but what you have done and accomplished, these are hallmarks of your life and the milestones of your life when you've made such a tremendous difference. i think about senator dodd who first introduced the bill in 1984. and my experience was with senator dodd goes back to when i managed his senate race in 1986 and diagnosed with ovarian cancer. he said, go get well. the job is here. the salaries here. he was also going to be the campaign manager for the campaign, taking the lead from the senate office. he said my campaign doesn't start until you come back. it doesn't start until you come back. my friends, i don't know many united states senators who would pause their campaigns to wait for an employee who was sick. and i was with my mother, she drew her last breath of life after six weeks. she passed away five years ago at age 103, tough as nails. nobody said sorry, the laura, the job isn't there anymore, we have to find somebody else to sit in her place, and i'll say this, i'll say it over and over, and over again, because yes, members of congress, and now probably most of their staff members can take family leave and get paid for it as well. but if it's good for staff, for congressman, then it's good enough for us to serve in institutions, and it's going to be good enough for every single person in the united states. that's what we need to do. [applause] >> time off, need child, sick yourself, spouses, parents, millions of americans, it's a crucial step for working families today. 15 million workers take fmla leave every single year. but in a decade since this passage, we've left countless others behind. some workers jobs are protected. we've got legislation now it is looking at that in the house. some workers aren't eligible. some cannot afford to take leave because it is unpaid. 88 years ago, fdr signed into law the social security act, which meant economic security for all adults. 29 years after that, the lbj government gave us medicare and medicaid. health care for seniors and for the most vulnerable. that was a part of an ambitious series of policy initiatives, legislation, social safety networks, great society, they are bold responses to the specific challenges of the times. justice f. mla did it 30 years ago. what we need to do today, but our job is today, is to continue to work and look at what the social policy is of the day. which makes a difference in peoples lives, what is the new social safety net for families? it is paid family and medical leave, it is paid six days. it is affordable childcare. it is for equal pay, for equal work for men and women in this country. that is the new social state. and for those who think it is a pipe dream, only several years, ago we are at the center of the public discourse on these areas, and we need to try harder, we need to fight harder in order to get it done, and we should not negotiate away and undermine the direction that we want to go in to get these bills passed and across the finish line. i will leave you at this. i love being in this building, because francis perkins is my hero. he's my hero. can i tell you this? when i went to interview for the position of secretary of labor, with then-president elect obama, who was in chicago on a very cold day, he said to me, what do you want to do? i, said i want to be frank's perkins. that's what i want to do. i don't get the job, which is okay, i don't think my mother ever forgive him for not going that, but nevertheless, francis perkins, the first woman appointed to a presidential cabinet, she said, and i quote, i came to washington to work for god, for fdr, and the millions of forgotten plane, common, working men. i would add women today, but that is what we are interested to do. we celebrate 30 years of family and medical leave, we celebrate it with every worker, who deserves paid family and medical leave, let's make sure is in the budget coming up on march 9th. i thank you for being here tonight, in order to celebrate with all of you, the job, i will just tell you, there is nothing better than fighting for workers rights. for making sure that working men and women in this country who sacrificed every single day, and who today, are really living paycheck to paycheck. they deserve all of the might and weight of the federal government. for those that fought for the passage, i say thank you. it is the women that were there, and what is wonderful, now and i've said this to several of you, and i see there as, well carol. it is a new generation of women today, joined in such, and it is wonderful for all of the young women engaged and involved in this wonderful thing. and all of those they continue, let me be clear. our work continues, because the cause endures. we will continue to be there to get the job done, and i want you to please, please join me in welcoming my wonderful colleague. a dear friend, and that is congresswoman lauren underwood. she is really spectacular. not only family and medical leave, maternal childcare, maternal mortality, the whole nine yards. she's a delight to work with. lauren. >> thanks so much! hello, everybody, it's such an honor to be here among so many leaders and advocates who stand up for the right of working people in those families. thank, you secretary walsh, for inviting me, and for everybody at the department of labor who worked so hard to put this fantastic event together, it's great. and a special thank you to those that shared the personal stories, including ivan. over the last week, we've been celebrating the historic nature of this law, and what it has meant for working families. it is both personal stories that have stuck with me. on friday, we heard president biden talk about the importance of having federal policies, and how important it is to have strong support systems, and especially for him after he had the horrible accident that took his wife and daughter lives all those years ago. tammy duckworth spoke this week about how her husband was able to take advantage of fmla while she recovered from her wounds. ivan, thank you for sharing your story about your son, your stories are so vital into illustrating how important his policies are for so many working families. and also where we still need to make progress. my point is this, regardless of your income, your race, your gender identity, or where you come from, whether you are the president of the united states, or emergency room nurse, the strong paid leave and job protection policies matter for us all. there's still work to be done. too many americans are not protected by current law. tens of millions of people are still being forced to make a difficult choice between their livelihood and caring for themselves and their loved ones. currently, fmla protects just 56% of the workforce. gaps in fmla coverage leave out workers, folks working one or multiple part-time job positions, and those reentering the workforce for changing jobs. this means that some of our most vulnerable workers are the least likely to be protected. people of color and low wage workers. these gaps also disproportionately impact women who are more likely to be -- less likely to be eligible for job protection under fmi. for too many people not protected by the fmla, their stories are that they lost their job when they became pregnant or sick, where they became returning to work far too soon after having a baby, or they had to work through illness, or they missed precious time spent with a loved one that needed them. and so this 30th anniversary of the family and medical leave act is an opportunity for us to recognize the hard work of the advocates who worked to make this life-changing reality, and for those that persist in the fight for families, workers rights, and economic justice. for this milestone, it is just a reminder that the f mla is only the first step. it's a beginning, and we have hard work to do to ensure that all workers can act and access family medical leave. 30 years, i think that's long enough to wait. i know that we are going to get there, because the american people are calling for it. more loud now than ever before. because of the hard work, determination, and personal stories of everyone here today. and so thank you again for the honor of joining us in the celebration, and i am now delighted to pass it back to deputy secretary judy suit to close this out. thank you so much. great to see you. >> thank you also much again for being here. i think that it's all been said, it has been a long road, and it's amazing to hear joscelyn, as you share, thank you all so much for fighting force in congress. talking about the road that led us to this place. it is a beautiful thing to get to this milestone, because it gives people a chance to really remember, to reflect, to come together again, and i will say again, thank you so much to all of you who have paved the road to get us here 30 years ago. we've also been very clear about the road ahead, and we talked about what needs to be done, and i think that liz said it, we can do it when we have all of the pieces put together, and that's what this room is, and all the people watching, we have to bring more folks along. in this administration, we talk a lot about infrastructure, physical infrastructure, roads and bridges. this road to where we all know that we need to go is just as important as the physical roads and bridges. at the department of labor, we are here to fight for you, to pave that route, and let's build it together. thank you all so much for being here. thank you for all your work. [applause] >> thank you for everyone in sharing in our celebration today. we ask you to join us in the hall of honor. >> attorney general merrick garland testifies before the 118 congress. he's expected to be asked about the recent indictment about a former fbi official, as well as several other ongoing justice department investigations. watch live coverage at the senate judiciary committee hearing at 10 am eastern, only on c-span 3. you can also watch on our few mobile video app. or you can watch online at c-span.org. >> c-span now is a free mobile app featuring your unfiltered view of what is happening in washington, live and on demand. keep up with the day's biggest events of live streams of floor proceedings and hearings from u.s. congress. white house events, the courts, campaigns, and more for the world of politics. it's all at your fingertips. you can also stay current with the latest episodes of washington journal, and find scheduling information from c-span's tv networks and c-span radio, plus a variety of compelling podcasts. it's a bill about the apple store and google play, download it for free today. c-span now, your front row speed to washington, anytime, anywhere. >> c-span has your unfiltered view of government, and we are funded by these television companies and more, including buckeye broadband. >> buckeye broadband supports c-span's a public service, along with these other television providers. we give you a front row seat to democracy. >> the house oversight and accountability committee has adopted a new rules package for the 118th congress, by a party vote of 25 to 19. an end to public hearings for members and witnesses, and the