Corporate Voices is devoted to tracking bills that will have a discernable impact on business and their employees. We are currently tracking legislation that falls under our main program areas. Below, we have summarized the bills we are tracking in the current 111th Congress.
| Bill Title & Number | Key Sponsor | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Family and Medical Leave Enhancement Act of 2009 |
Rep Maloney, Carolyn B. [NY-14] |
Amends the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) to cover employees at worksites that employ fewer than 50 employees, but not fewer than 25 employees. Continues to exempt from FMLA coverage employees at worksites that employ fewer than 25 employees (currently 50), if the total number of employees employed by that employer within 75 miles of that worksite is fewer than 25 (currently 50). Allows an employee covered by FMLA to take up to 4 hours during any 30-day period, and up to 24 hours during any 12-month period, of parental involvement leave to participate in or attend activities that are sponsored by a school or community organization; and (2) relate to a program of the school or organization that is attended by the employee's child or grandchild. |
Referred to the Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Post Office, and the District of Columbia. |
|
Family-Friendly Workplace Act |
Rep. McMorris Rodgers, Cathy [WA-5] |
Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to authorize private employers to provide compensatory time off to private employees at a rate of 1 1/2 hours per hour of employment for which overtime compensation is required. Authorizes an employer to provide compensatory time only if it is in accordance with an applicable collective bargaining agreement or, in the absence of such an agreement, an agreement between the employer and employee. Prohibits an employee from accruing more than 160 hours of compensatory time. Requires an employee's employer to provide monetary compensation, after the end of a calendar year, for any unused compensatory time off accrued during the preceding year. |
Referred to the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections. |
|
Working Families Flexibility Act |
Rep. Maloney, Carolyn B. [NY-14] |
Authorizes an employee to request from an employer a change in the terms or conditions of the employee's employment if the request relates to: (1) the number of hours the employee is required to work; (2) the times when the employee is required to work; or (3) where the employee is required to work. Sets forth certain employer duties with respect to such requests. |
Referred to the Subcommittee on Courts and Competition Policy |
|
Family Leave Insurance Act of 2009 |
Rep. Stark, Fortney Pete [CA-13] |
Directs the Secretary of Labor to establish a Family and Medical Insurance Program, mandatory for certain covered employers. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) contract with a state to establish a state Family and Medical Insurance Program to provide specified leave benefits, or expand a pre-existing state program; or (2) at a governor's request enter an interagency agreement with the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration to establish a state Family and Medical Insurance Program. Entitles eligible employees to Program benefits that include specified percentages of their daily earnings for 12 workweeks of leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 during any 12-month period. |
Referred to the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections |
|
Child Care Public-Private Partnership Act of 2009 |
Rep. Lowey, Nita M. [NY-18] |
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a business-incentive grant program to provide child care through public-private partnerships. Provides program grants to cover up to one-third of the costs for: (1) businesses or consortia to start up, or provide additional, employee child care services; and (2) nonprofit business organizations to provide technical information and assistance to enable businesses to provide such services. |
Referred to the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education. |
|
Family and Medical Leave Inclusion Act |
Rep Maloney, Carolyn B. [NY-14] Sen Durbin, Richard [IL] |
Family and Medical Leave Inclusion Act - Amends the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 to provide for employee leave to care for a same-sex spouse as determined under applicable state law, domestic partner, including their child, parent-in-law, adult child, sibling, or grandparent (as well as for a spouse, child, or parent), if such person has a serious health condition. Amends federal civil service law to apply the same leave allowance to federal employees. |
Referred to the Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Post Office, and the District of Columbia. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. |
|
Family and Medical Leave Restoration Act |
Rep. Shea-Porter, Carol [NH-1] |
Requires the Secretary of Labor to revise regulations promulgated under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) governing coverage and employee leave entitlements. Directs the Secretary to revise regulations regarding an employer's request for recertification of a medical condition whose minimum duration is more than 30 days for leave taken because of an employee's own serious health condition or the serious health condition of a family member. Requires the Secretary to permit an employer to require such a recertification no earlier than: (1) the expiration of the length of time indicated in the original certification; or (2) one year after obtaining the original certification, if the original certification indicated that the medical condition would last longer than one year. |
Referred to the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections. |
|
Family Income to Respond to Significant Transitions Act |
Rep. Woolsey, Lynn C. [CA-6] |
Family Income to Respond to Significant Transitions Act - Directs the Secretary of Labor to award grants to states to pay for the federal share of the cost of carrying out programs that assist families by providing, through various mechanisms, wage replacement for eligible individuals taking leave to respond to caregiving needs resulting from the birth or adoption of a child, or for other purposes under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) or provided under state or local law. |
Referred to the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections. |
|
Healthy Families Act |
Rep. DeLauro, Rosa L. [CT-3] Sen Kennedy, Edward M. [MA] |
Requires certain employers, who employ 15 or more employees for each working day during 20 or more workweeks a year, to permit each employee to earn at least one hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked. Declares that an employer shall not be required to permit an employee to earn more than 56 hours of paid sick time in a calendar year, unless the employer chooses to set a higher limit. Allows employees to use such time to: (1) meet their own medical needs; (2) care for the medical needs of certain family members; or (3) seek medical attention, assist a related person, take legal action, or engage in other specified activities relating to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Prohibits an employer from interfering with an employee's exercise of such rights. |
Referred to the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. |
|
Domestic Violence Leave Act |
Rep. Woolsey, Lynn C. [CA-6] |
Amends the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 to entitle an eligible employee, his or her same-sex spouse, or domestic partner to up to 12 workweeks of leave during any 12-month period: (1) to care for such individual's family member, if the family member is addressing domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking and their effects; or (2) because such individual is addressing such matters, he or she is unable to perform any of the functions of his or her position. Authorizes such individual to substitute any of his or her accrued paid vacation leave, personal leave, family leave, or medical or sick leave for any of the 12-week period of such leave. Authorizes an employer to require an employee to certify with documentation the basis of the leave request. Declares that nothing in this Act shall require an employer to provide paid sick leave or paid medical leave in any situation in which such employer would not normally provide any such paid leave. |
Referred to the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections. |
|
Paid Vacation Act of 2009 |
Rep. Grayson, Alan [FL-8] |
Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act to require: (1) upon enactment of this Act, each employer who employs 100 or more employees to provide each employee one week of paid vacation during each 12-month period; and (2) beginning three years after enactment of this Act, each employer who employs 50 or more employees to provide each employee one week of paid vacation during each 12-month period, and each employer that employs 100 or more employees to provide each employee two weeks paid vacation during each 12-month period, beginning on the employee's first anniversary of employment.
Requires an employee to provide the employer not less than 30 days' prior notice of his or her intent to take paid vacation, including the date the paid vacation will begin.
|
Referred to the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections. |
|
Living Organ Donor Job Security Act |
Rep. Hinojosa, Ruben [TX-15] |
Amends the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) to entitle employees covered by FMLA to leave to provide a living organ donation, including for time spent for: (1) tests to determine medical suitability of the employee for donation; (2) physical, psychological, and social evaluations of the donor; (3) pretransplant outpatient services; (4) postoperative inpatient and outpatient transplantation services; (5) travel in connection with such tests, evaluations, and services; and (6) recuperation. Amends federal civil service law to entitle civilian federal employees the same leave allowance. |
Referred to the Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Post Office, and the District of Columbia. |
|
Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2009 |
Rep. Maloney, Carolyn B. [NY-14] Sen. Merkley, Jeff [OR] |
Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include lactation (i.e., breastfeeding or the expressing of milk from the breast) as protected conduct under such Act. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow employers a business-related tax credit for 50% of their qualified breastfeeding promotion and support expenditures, up to $10,000 for any taxable year. Defines "qualified breastfeeding promotion and support expenditures" as business expenses incurred for breast pumps and other equipment specially designed to assist mothers who are breastfeeding their children and for consultation services relating to breastfeeding. Expands the tax deduction for medical expenses to include expenses for breastfeeding equipment and consultation services. Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act to require employers with 50 or more employees to provide their breastfeeding employees with break time and private areas to express breast milk for their nursing children. |
Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, and Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. |
|
Family Work Flexibility Act of 2009 |
Rep Bean, Melissa L. [IL-8] Sen Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [NY] |
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow employers a business tax credit for the cost of teleworking equipment used by employees to telework and for expenses to maintain such equipment. Limits the dollar amount of such credit to the lesser of $500 for each teleworking employee or $50,000. |
Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. |
|
Balancing Act of 2009 - Family Leave Insurance Act of 2009 |
Rep. Woolsey, Lynn C. [CA-6] |
Amends the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 to direct the Secretary of Labor to establish a Family and Medical Insurance Program, which may involve contracts with state programs, under which, for specified reasons, an eligible employee of a covered employer shall be entitled to family and medical leave insurance benefits for a total of 12 workweeks of leave during any 12-month program. Requires the Director of the Office of Personnel Management to establish a similar Civil Service Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program for federal employees. Creates in the Treasury the Family and Medical Leave Insurance Fund. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose a family and medical leave premium on employees and employers. |
Referred to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel. |
|
Work-Life Balance Award Act |
Rep. Woolsey, Lynn C. [CA-6] |
Will establish a national Work-Life Balance Award. The award will be given out by the Department of Labor to employers that have developed and implemented positive work-life balance policies. |
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Failed by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 249 - 163 (Roll no. 360). |
|
Pandemic Protection for Workers, Families, and Businesses Act |
Rep. DeLauro, Rosa L. [CT-3] Sen Dodd, Christopher J. [CT] |
To allow Americans to receive paid sick time so that they can address their own health needs, and the health needs of their families, related to a contagious illness. |
Referred to the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. |