Sponsors (11)
The bill strengthens workers' paid-rest, medical-break, and meal-break protections (and preserves stronger state/union terms) but increases employers' payroll and compliance costs and liability, with potential downstream effects on hiring, prices, and legal oversight in certain territories.
Low- and middle-income workers gain paid rest/restroom breaks (at least 10 minutes every 4 hours) that count as hours worked, increasing paid time and reducing unpaid labor.
Employees can take paid medical breaks (up to 20 minutes) when a healthcare provider communicates the need, allowing health needs to be addressed without wage loss.
Workers gain a guaranteed unpaid 30-minute meal break every 6 hours, improving daily rest and meal opportunities.
Employers—especially small businesses—face higher payroll costs and increased administrative burden because break time is treated as hours worked and overtime may apply when employees aren’t fully relieved.
Employers face expanded private and criminal liability with extended limitations, increasing litigation risk, potential criminal penalties, and compliance costs.
To offset higher labor costs, employers may reduce hiring or hours, change scheduling, or pass costs to consumers through higher prices, which could harm workers and customers.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Adds mandatory meal, rest/restroom, and medical breaks to the FLSA, counts paid breaks as hours worked, and makes violations enforceable under existing FLSA remedies.
Official title: To amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to require employers to allow employees to take meal, rest, restroom, and medical breaks, and for other purposes.
Introduced May 21, 2026 by Bonnie Watson Coleman · Last progress May 21, 2026
Establishes mandatory workplace break rules by adding a new Section 8 to the Fair Labor Standards Act. It requires unpaid 30-minute meal breaks for each six-hour shift (waivable by the employee), paid short breaks (minimum 10 minutes or time to reach a functioning restroom) every four hours, and paid medical breaks up to 20 minutes when a health care provider indicates a need; paid breaks are counted as hours worked. The bill also makes violations enforceable under existing FLSA civil and criminal remedies, extends statute-of-limitations coverage to these violations, preserves stronger state or collective-bargaining protections, and repeals a statute governing court review of wage orders for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.