Seyfarth’s Ellen McLaughlin to Testify Before House Education and Labor Committee

WASHINGTON, D.C. - On Tuesday, October 22, Seyfarth Shaw LLP partner Ellen McLaughlin will testify before the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee’s Civil Rights and Human Services Subcommittee. The House Subcommittee hearing, “Long Over Due: Exploring the Pregnant Workers’ Fairness Act (H.R. 2694),” is scheduled to begin at 10:15 a.m. ET. McLaughlin’s full written testimony and the hearing webcast will be available here. Key highlights from the testimony include:

• While the current statutory framework protecting pregnant workers may not be perfect, any legislation purporting to close gaps in coverage should be carefully crafted.
• Employers are already faced with differing regulatory schemes under the ADA, FMLA and state laws when analyzing a pregnant employee’s request for accommodation.
• The Committee and Congress should carefully consider the purpose and practical effect of the proposed legislation before imposing another layer on the already complex matrix of federal and state laws that employers must contend with.

A Labor & Employment partner in Seyfarth’s Chicago office, McLaughlin’s practice focuses on federal and state court and administrative agency employment litigation. She has co-authored comments to the EEOC’s proposed regulations to the Americans with Disabilities Act as well as the ADA Amendments Act. McLaughlin also authored comments to the DOL’s proposed regulations to the FMLA on behalf of national employer coalitions. In June 2011, she was one of two management attorneys in the country invited by the EEOC to testify at a public hearing on the issue of leave as a reasonable accommodation. She speaks on a national basis on leave and accommodation issues and is widely recognized as one of the nation’s foremost ADA and FMLA experts.

Seyfarth’s Government Relations and Policy practice group provides legal expertise to clients regarding the actions of Congress and federal, state, and local administrative agencies. Comprised of Seyfarth attorneys with government relations and policy experience, the team develops solutions for clients and provides ongoing education and advocacy on policy issues.