Sponsors (153)
Introduced February 12, 2026 by Rosa L. Delauro · Last progress February 12, 2026
The bill establishes a federal baseline of paid sick leave and stronger enforcement that will improve worker health, leave access, and remedies, but it does so at the cost of new employer payroll and administrative burdens, greater litigation risk, and a continued patchwork of protections that leaves some workers waiting or with limited coverage.
Millions of covered employees (especially low-income workers, parents, and caregivers) gain a statutory right to paid sick leave—up to 56 hours per year—with allowed uses for personal illness, family care, school/care meetings, and conditions like domestic violence, plus protections for reinstated accrued time for rehired workers.
Employees receive stronger enforcement and remedies (private causes of action, liquidated damages, attorney’s fees, equitable relief) and the Department of Labor gains investigative and subpoena authority, improving the likelihood that violations are corrected and victims are made whole.
Workers covered by existing collective-bargaining agreements or employer plans keep the more generous leave terms already negotiated or offered, preserving current benefits and respecting negotiated labor protections during a transition period.
Small businesses and some employers face meaningful new payroll and compliance costs to provide paid sick leave (and to honor more generous accrued benefits), which could reduce hiring, raise prices for consumers, or strain small employers' finances.
The law creates substantial administrative and compliance complexity—overlapping statutory, contractual, and agency rules; accrual, carryover, certification, posting, recordkeeping, and reporting requirements—which will increase employers' paperwork and compliance costs, especially for multi-state or small employers.
Expanded anti-retaliation protections, heightened enforcement authority, and new private remedies substantially raise litigation risk and potential damages exposure for employers and may increase DOL and court workloads (and related taxpayer costs).
Based on analysis of 13 sections of legislative text.
Establishes a federal paid sick-leave right (1 hour per 30 worked, default cap 56 hours/year) with accrual, permitted uses, posting, enforcement, and reporting requirements.
Creates a federal right to paid sick leave for covered employees, requiring employers to provide at least 1 hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked (with a default cap of 56 hours per year). The law sets accrual and use rules, protects employees from retaliation, requires employer notices and recordkeeping, provides enforcement through the Department of Labor and a private right of action with damages and equitable relief, and directs studies and reporting on implementation. It preserves more generous existing contracts, collective-bargaining agreements, and state or local leave laws.