Sponsors (10)
The bill preserves nationwide, predictable access to affordable au pair childcare and reduces compliance burdens for sponsors — benefiting working and military families — while trading away state and local flexibility, which raises risks of uneven protections, stipend mismatches, and potential exploitation of au pairs unless federal safeguards and enforcement are strengthened.
Working families nationwide — including single parents, shift workers, first responders, and military families — retain affordable, predictable access to childcare through a nationally uniform au pair program, and sponsors face lower compliance costs because rules are consistent across states.
Federal preemption and uniform standards provide legal clarity and preserve program availability by preventing divergent state or local restrictions that could limit placements, making participation more predictable for host families and sponsoring agencies.
Active-duty military families disproportionately benefit from continued au pair access, supporting family stability and military readiness; the program also advances U.S. public diplomacy through cultural exchange.
Preempting state and local authority limits the ability to adopt or enforce additional safety, housing, and labor protections for au pairs, potentially exposing participants to inconsistent or weaker protections and reducing local oversight.
A single national stipend standard may misalign with local cost-of-living: au pairs in high-cost areas can be undercompensated, while uniform increases could make the program unaffordable for some host families in lower-cost areas.
Emphasizing immersion into host-family life and preserving uniform federal rules without stronger labor protections risks blurred work boundaries, overwork, or exploitation of au pairs and may limit remedies if violations occur.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Preempts state/local regulation of the federal au pair program and requires a State Department proposed rule updating stipend formulas, flexibility, and cultural-exchange standards.
Official title: To clarify the Department of State's exclusive regulatory authority over the au pair cultural exchange program, and for other purposes.
Introduced June 26, 2025 by Guy Reschenthaler · Last progress June 26, 2025
Preempts state and local regulation of the federal au pair exchange program and directs the Secretary of State to propose a uniform national rule updating stipend calculations, program flexibility, and cultural-exchange standards. The bill requires the Department of State to submit a proposed rule within 90 days to set a national stipend/education stipend formula that accounts for room and board and to increase program flexibility for military families, first responders, single parents, and others with nontraditional schedules.