Sponsors (8)
Introduced December 17, 2025 by Elizabeth Warren · Last progress December 17, 2025
The bill expands and strengthens leave and scheduling protections—giving more workers earlier, enforceable access to job‑protected leave and fair scheduling—while imposing higher compliance, staffing, and fiscal costs on employers and government that could reduce hiring flexibility.
Employees (including federal and congressional staff) gain access to job‑protected FMLA leave after 90 days instead of 12 months, allowing them to take protected time off earlier for medical or caregiving needs.
Part‑time and temporary workers (and low‑hour employees) receive protections against pay and benefit discrimination based on hours or expected duration and must be offered available shifts before outside hires, increasing income fairness and scheduling opportunities.
Employees gain stronger enforcement and remedies — including recovery of lost wages, benefits, interest, liquidated damages, and equitable relief (hiring/reinstatement) — making labor protections more enforceable.
Employers — especially small businesses — face higher costs and operational strain from earlier and expanded leave eligibility plus new compliance and recordkeeping requirements, including risk of substantial damages and penalties for violations.
Job‑seekers and employers may see reduced hiring flexibility because the bill requires offering available shifts to existing employees first, which can limit opportunities for new hires, contractors, or workforce sourcing options.
Government agencies and taxpayers may face increased administrative burden and fiscal costs as multiple agencies must implement aligned regulations and federal agencies may need to backfill positions or absorb higher leave usage.
Based on analysis of 5 sections of legislative text.
Shortens FMLA eligibility to 90 days, expands definitions to cover many part‑time and temporary workers, and counts part‑time/temp staff when testing employer size.
Extends eligibility for family and medical leave so most employees can take FMLA leave after 90 days on the job instead of waiting 12 months and 1,250 hours. It aligns related federal statutes to the same 90‑day rule, and creates a new subtitle that defines covered employees and employers to broaden protections for part‑time and temporary workers, while expanding how employers are counted (including part‑time/temp workers and integrated enterprises). The bill changes several U.S. Code provisions to implement the 90‑day eligibility rule (effective one year after enactment) and adds detailed statutory definitions that bring many part‑time, temporary, state, congressional, and certain federal workers within the new protections; it also changes the employer-size test to count part‑time and temporary staff and affiliated businesses when determining coverage.