Sponsors (18)
The bill expands voting access by guaranteeing at least two hours of paid leave and anti-retaliation protections for most employees on Federal election days, but it imposes compliance, administrative, and operational costs on employers (with a narrow exemption for very small employers).
Most employees at covered workplaces receive at least two consecutive hours of paid leave on Federal election days to vote or perform voting-related tasks.
Employees who use the voting leave are protected from retaliation and will not lose accrued benefits (e.g., seniority or paid time off) for taking the leave.
The bill provides enforcement tools (Department of Labor investigations and civil penalties) that increase the likelihood employers will comply with the voting-leave requirements.
Employers with 25 or more employees face new compliance costs and exposure to civil penalties (up to $10,000 per violation), which can be financially significant for businesses.
Covered employers may incur operational costs on election days to cover short staffing or pay employees for the two-hour leave, affecting budgets and scheduling (including schools and universities).
Employers will face increased administrative burden to track leave requests, schedule required leave, and document compliance, raising HR and payroll workloads and costs.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires employers with 25+ employees to provide at least two consecutive hours of paid leave on Federal election days for voting-related activities, effective at the next Federal election after enactment.
Official title: Provide employees with a minimum of 2 consecutive hours of paid leave in order to vote in Federal elections.
Introduced July 30, 2025 by Mazie Hirono · Last progress July 30, 2025
Requires employers with 25 or more employees who are engaged in interstate commerce to give any requesting employee at least two consecutive hours of paid leave on a Federal election day while polls or voting sites are open so the employee can vote or do voting-related activities. Employers may set the two-hour window (including directing leave to an early-voting period where allowed), cannot count a normal lunch or break as the leave, and may not reduce the employee's accrued benefits for providing the leave. The Secretary of Labor enforces the rule, may investigate alleged violations, and may assess civil penalties up to $10,000 per violation. The rule starts with the first Federal election after the law is enacted and does not override state or local laws that provide greater protection.