BEREAVEMENT LEAVE ACT
Summary
Provides that the Act may be referred to as the Zachary's Parent Protection Act. Amends the Family Bereavement Leave Act. Changes the name of the Act to the Bereavement Leave Act. Sets forth provisions concerning family bereavement leave, child extended bereavement leave, and general bereavement leave. Provides for the qualifying requirements, notice requirements, and length of leave provided under those circumstances. Provides that the bereavement leave provided under the Act is in addition to the unpaid leave time allowed under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993. Provides that the Department of Labor shall review complaints to determine whether there is cause for investigation. Makes changes to definitions. Repeals the Child Extended Bereavement Leave Act. Amends the Victims' Economic Security and Safety Act and the Child Labor Law of 2024 to make conforming changes.
Bill status
passed
3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Apr 2026
Committee Review
Apr 2026
House Passage
Apr 2026
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Apr 21, 2026
Last action Apr 21, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison
What changed between versions
Introduced
→
Engrossed
·
5 edits
·
Apr 16, 2026
MODERATE
This bill amends the Family Bereavement Leave Act to consolidate bereavement protections into a single statute and clarifies the definition of 'employer' to explicitly include state and local governments. It also introduces a new definition for 'pregnancy or adoption related event' and adjusts the maximum allowable leave days based on the size of the employer.
Scope change
The bill expands the definition of 'employer' to include state and local governments and their agencies, ensuring public sector employees are covered under the same bereavement leave provisions as private sector employees.
DEFINITION
Added a new definition for 'pregnancy or adoption related event' to explicitly list miscarriages, failed surrogacy agreements, and stillbirths alongside other reproductive events.
Modified the definition of 'employer' to explicitly include the State, local governments, and their agencies, whereas the previous version did not clearly list them.
REQUIREMENT
Added a specific provision stating that employers with fewer than 50 employees are entitled to a maximum of 5 days of unpaid bereavement leave, while those with 50 or more employees are entitled to a maximum of 10 days.
TECHNICAL
Renamed the Act from the 'Zachary's Parent Protection Act' to simply the 'Bereavement Leave Act' and repealed the separate Child Extended Bereavement Leave Act to consolidate these protections into one law.
ELIGIBILITY
Clarified the list of covered family members and updated the legislative history to reflect the renaming of the act from the Child Bereavement Leave Act to the Family Bereavement Leave Act.
Floor votes · House Apr 16, 2026
How they voted
78–26
Passed · 12 other
Total votes 116
Apr 16, 2026
D
Democratic76
93% Yea
R
Republican40
65% Nay
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
28
Key actions
8
Committee
11
Amendments
6
Apr 21, 2026
Committee
Referred to Assignments
upper
Apr 21, 2026
Introduced
Arrive in Senate
upper
Apr 16, 2026
Amended
House Floor Amendment No. 2 Tabled
lower
Apr 16, 2026
Lower · Passed
Third Reading - Short Debate - Passed 080-026-000
lower
Apr 16, 2026
Lower · Passed
House Floor Amendment No. 3 Adopted
lower
Apr 15, 2026
Lower · Passed
House Floor Amendment No. 3 Recommends Be Adopted Labor & Commerce Committee; 018-007-000
lower
Apr 15, 2026
Lower · Passed
House Floor Amendment No. 3 Rules Refers to Labor & Commerce Committee
lower
Apr 14, 2026
Lower · Passed
House Floor Amendment No. 2 Rules Refers to Labor & Commerce Committee
lower
Apr 14, 2026
Committee
House Floor Amendment No. 3 Referred to Rules Committee
lower
Apr 14, 2026
Introduced
House Floor Amendment No. 3 Filed with Clerk by Rep. Maurice A. West, II
lower
Apr 14, 2026
Committee
House Floor Amendment No. 2 Referred to Rules Committee
lower
Apr 14, 2026
Introduced
House Floor Amendment No. 2 Filed with Clerk by Rep. Maurice A. West, II
lower
Mar 19, 2026
Lower · Passed
Do Pass as Amended / Short Debate Labor & Commerce Committee; 018-009-000
lower
Mar 19, 2026
Lower · Passed
House Committee Amendment No. 1 Adopted in Labor & Commerce Committee; by Voice Vote
lower
Mar 18, 2026
Lower · Passed
House Committee Amendment No. 1 Rules Refers to Labor & Commerce Committee
lower
Mar 6, 2026
Committee
House Committee Amendment No. 1 Referred to Rules Committee
lower
Mar 6, 2026
Introduced
House Committee Amendment No. 1 Filed with Clerk by Rep. Maurice A. West, II
lower
Mar 4, 2026
Committee
Assigned to Labor & Commerce Committee
lower
Feb 10, 2026
Committee
Referred to Rules Committee
lower
2 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
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