This bill expands eligibility for family and medical leave under the FMLA for paraprofessionals and education support staff (ESP) in schools. It lowers the required work hours for eligibility from 1,250 hours per year to 60% of the expected monthly hours for their specific role (based on the previous school year’s schedule). Employers must document each employee’s expected monthly hours in a file for the Secretary’s review. The law specifically covers school staff providing services like clerical work, food services, custodial duties, or student health support, aligning with existing definitions from education law.
This bill expands access to family and medical leave under the FMLA by reducing the required employment period from 12 months to 90 days for most workers. It also lowers the employer size threshold from "50 or more employees" to "1 or more employees," requiring nearly all employers to provide this leave. The changes specifically apply to private-sector workers, federal employees (covered under Title 5), and congressional staff, removing previous eligibility barriers. Key provisions include updating definitions in the FMLA and modifying federal employee leave rules to align with the 90-day requirement. This directly affects millions of workers who previously had to wait a full year for leave eligibility.
This bill amends the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to explicitly include the birth of a child as a qualifying reason for leave, directly affecting employees taking leave for childbirth. It adds "the birth of a son or daughter" to the list of covered events under FMLA and requires employers to notify eligible employees that they cannot recover health insurance premiums paid during leave if the employee does not return after childbirth leave. The key change prevents employers from charging employees for health coverage costs if they choose not to return to work following a birth-related leave. This update clarifies existing FMLA protections without altering leave duration or pay.
This bill amends the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to explicitly include "the birth of a son or daughter" as a qualifying reason for leave. It directly affects employees taking leave for childbirth, ensuring they cannot be penalized for not returning to work after such leave. The key provision requires employers to notify eligible employees that they cannot recover health insurance premiums paid during the leave if the employee does not return due to the birth. This change clarifies protections for parents using FMLA for childbirth-related leave.
The Healthy Families Act would require most private employers and certain government entities to provide employees with earned paid sick time, allowing workers to take up to 56 hours per year for their own health needs, caring for family members, or addressing domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Employees would earn 1 hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked, with the ability to use it for medical appointments, caring for family members with health needs, or seeking safety from violence. The bill prohibits employers from retaliating against workers who use this time and requires employers to post clear notices about the policy. It applies to most private employers, with specific provisions for government entities like the Library of Congress and Government Accountability Office.
The Part-Time Worker Bill of Rights Act would expand benefits for part-time workers by reducing the eligibility requirement for family and medical leave from 12 months of employment to just 90 days. It prohibits discrimination against part-time employees based on their work hours and requires employers to offer preferred work schedules to existing part-time employees before hiring new staff or using contractors. The bill mandates that employers compensate part-time workers for hours they could not schedule due to new hires, and establishes enforcement mechanisms through the Department of Labor. This legislation directly affects part-time workers and employers with more than 15 employees across various sectors, including government agencies.
S 400 enhances the tax credit for employers that provide paid family and medical leave to their workers. Employers can now choose to calculate the credit based on either wages paid to employees on leave or premiums paid for an insurance policy covering the leave. The bill clarifies that state or local government-paid leave counts toward the leave provided but does not count toward the credit amount, and extends the credit to cover up to six months of leave. Additionally, it requires the Small Business Administration and IRS to conduct outreach to help employers understand and use the credit.
This bill amends the Fair Labor Standards Act to exclude the value of employer-provided child or dependent care services from overtime pay calculations. It directly affects employers who offer such care benefits, allowing them to exclude the cost of these services when determining overtime wages for eligible employees. The key change adds a new exclusion (paragraph (9)) to the overtime calculation rules, meaning the value of childcare or elder care provided by an employer is no longer counted toward an employee's regular rate for overtime purposes. The change applies to overtime pay required for workweeks beginning after the bill's enactment date.
The Federal Jobs Guarantee Development Act of 2026 establishes a 3-year pilot program providing competitive grants to up to 15 eligible entities (such as states, tribes, or rural areas with unemployment at least 150% of the national rate) to create job guarantee programs. These programs must offer jobs to all residents aged 18+ in the service area, with wages meeting or exceeding federal/state minimums, health coverage comparable to federal employee benefits, and mandated paid leave. The bill requires grantees to provide training support, report demographic data, and comply with specific job access standards for individuals with disabilities and criminal records. Funds are limited to new jobs not displacing existing workers, with annual audits to ensure proper use of resources.
The FAMILY Act (S 2823) would establish a federal paid family and medical leave insurance program that provides wage replacement benefits for eligible workers who need time off for family or medical reasons. It directly affects workers who need leave to care for a family member with a serious health condition, address their own serious health condition, or deal with family violence or other qualifying acts of violence. The program would pay a percentage of an individual's average earnings (up to 85% for lower earners), with maximum monthly benefits of $4,000 and minimum benefits of $580 in 2026, while requiring employers to maintain health coverage during leave. The Social Security Administration would administer the program through a new Office of Paid Family and Medical Leave, with benefits available starting 18 months after enactment.
