The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is designed to provide temporary job-protected leave for workers who are dealing with serious life events, such as the birth or adoption of a child, the illness of a family member, or their own significant health problem. But does the law apply to afternoons of bass fishing? Probably not.
Travis Loyd, a top state employee and fishing enthusiast at the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, resigned from his job in February when it was revealed he had been using FMLA sick leave time to participate in professional bass fishing competitions all over the U.S. Loyd insisted he was under doctor’s orders to go fishing as a form of stress reduction.
