HR6880-119

What This Bill Does

The bill defines employee and employer by reference to the Fair Labor Standards Act and defines Secretary as the Secretary of Labor. It then requires the Secretary to establish a national certification program recognizing employers that help employees balance work and family obligations. To qualify, an employer must offer fertility or adoption assistance, at least 12 weeks of paid family leave per year for birth, adoption, foster care, serious health conditions, pregnancy, childbirth, pregnancy loss, family medical needs, and military caregiving, paid sick days separate from PTO, child-care subsidy or infant-at-work policies, flexible return-to-work hours, remote work when feasible for child-care reasons, and lactation support such as breastmilk shipping reimbursement, pumps, supplies, consultants, and amenities. Employers apply to Labor, Labor reviews applications, and Congress authorizes such sums as necessary.

Who Benefits and How

Working parents, caregivers, employees planning adoption or fertility treatment, and employers with strong benefits benefit because the certification creates a federal signal that helps workers find family-supportive workplaces and lets employers market those policies.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Labor Department certification staff, federal taxpayers, and employers seeking certification must comply with application review, program administration, benefit-cost, documentation, and eligibility requirements for paid leave, sick leave, child-care support, flexible work, and lactation assistance.

Key Provisions

• Requires the Labor Secretary to establish a national family-friendly employer certification program.
• Requires certified employers to provide 12 weeks paid family leave, separate sick days, child-care support, flexible work, and lactation support.
• Authorizes employers to apply for certification and Labor to review whether all benefit requirements are met.
• Provides open-ended appropriations authorization for program administration.