SUBMITTED NEWS RELEASE
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Sen. Harry Reid today hosted a conference call with “mom” bloggers from Nevada and across the country to discuss issues important to them in advance of Mother’s Day this Sunday, May 8.
Reid discussed the work he has done throughout his career to protect the interests of women and their families. During the call, Reid and the participants discussed the importance of passing strict food safety regulation and adding flexibility in the workplace, especially for mothers.
“It was such a pleasure to talk with Nevada mothers about their concerns,” said Reid. “The mothers I talked to today are very strong advocates for themselves and for their families. They are serious about the issues and our discussion shows that we are on the right track to pass bills that matter at the kitchen table and in the family budget.”
Listening to the participants’ strong support of such legislation, Reid said that he would support a Government Accountability Office study of workplace flexibility in federal agencies to see what costs and changes would be associated with increased flexibility policies, and how that would translate to the private sector. Currently Sen. Daniel Akaka is advocating a bill that would require executive agencies to establish a telework policy. Rep. Carolyn Maloney is working on a House bill that would allow employees to request charges in the terms of their work conditions without fear of being treated differently. Reid supports both efforts.
Reid has also been a strong advocate of food safety legislation. He discussed challenges to passing a food safety bill and said he is committed to passing it this year. This law would give the FDA the authority to issue a recall when food manufactures fail to do so. It also would create a trace-back system so tainted ingredients can be found and contained.
