Sponsors (116)
Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on House Administration, Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, Oversight and Government Reform, and the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Creates a federal "Domestic Workers Bill of Rights" that establishes minimum labor protections for people who work in private homes and family child care settings. It requires written work agreements, earned paid sick time, fair scheduling, meal/rest breaks, privacy protections, limits on pay deductions, and anti‑retaliation rules; it directs the Department of Labor to make model agreements, run outreach/enforcement, fund a national hotline and community grants, and set rules for payment intermediaries and Medicaid‑funded services. The bill also temporarily raises the federal Medicaid matching rate (FMAP) for certain Medicaid services provided by domestic employees for a 20‑quarter period and authorizes funds to implement the law.
There are an estimated 2,200,000 domestic employees across the United States working in private homes to provide direct care, child care, and house-cleaning services.
Domestic work is a job-enabling job that makes all other work possible; it cannot be outsourced or largely automated, and without domestic employees caring for children, seniors, people with disabilities, and cleaning homes, much of the economy would come to a standstill.
During the COVID–19 pandemic, domestic work and other low-wage service jobs (disproportionately held by women, women of color, and immigrants) were deemed essential; many domestic employees worked on the frontlines and faced health risks and lack of employer-provided PPE.
Domestic employees experienced rapid and sustained job loss during the COVID–19 pandemic, increasing financial insecurity; surveys found that for six consecutive months more than half were unable to pay rent or mortgage and nearly 75 percent received no compensation when jobs were canceled.
The employment of individuals in domestic service in households affects commerce, and many domestic employees are employees covered under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938; domestic services provided by any domestic employee for an employer affect commerce.
Who is affected and how:
Domestic employees (home care workers, personal attendants, nannies, housekeepers, family child care providers): gain federal baseline rights — written agreements, earned sick leave, scheduling protections, breaks, privacy protections, limits on unfair deductions, and stronger anti‑retaliation safeguards. These rights improve job predictability, income stability, and workplace safety, but may also increase paperwork and compliance requirements for employers.
Employers who hire domestic workers (households, families, family child care businesses): must adopt written agreements, track and provide paid sick leave, comply with scheduling and break rules, and avoid prohibited deductions or retaliatory conduct. Employers may face increased labor costs and administrative compliance burdens.
Providers of home- and community‑based services and payment intermediaries: will be subject to new rulemaking and possibly new operating or payment requirements when they employ or process payments for domestic workers under Medicaid‑funded programs.
State governments and Medicaid programs: can receive a temporary FMAP increase for covered services provided by domestic employees, which offsets state costs and is intended to prevent service cuts; however, states must maintain service eligibility standards and comply with federal rulemaking tied to the FMAP bump.
Medicaid beneficiaries and people receiving home‑ and community‑based services: may see improved workforce stability (better pay/conditions for workers) and therefore greater continuity of in‑home services; protections in the bill are intended to prevent state cuts to eligibility for covered services.
Department of Labor and other federal agencies: will incur administrative responsibilities — issuing rules, creating outreach materials and a website, running a hotline and grant programs, coordinating by Task Force, and enforcing new protections. That will require staffing, rulemaking, and administrative resources.
Legal and compliance system: employers and workers may see increased litigation as workers enforce new rights; the bill defines remedies and timelines for claims.
Net effects: the bill raises labor standards and expands federal support for enforcement and Medicaid incentives to strengthen the domestic care workforce. It shifts some costs to employers (wages, paid leave, scheduling compliance) while providing targeted federal financial support to states for Medicaid service delivery; implementation will require multi‑agency coordination and will involve administrative and compliance costs.
Last progress June 12, 2025 (8 months ago)
Introduced on June 12, 2025 by Pramila Jayapal