# Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act Summary
This legislation would establish comprehensive labor protections for approximately 2.2 million domestic workers in the United States—including nannies, housekeepers, home health aides, and other in-home service providers. The bill addresses a workforce that is predominantly female, older, and composed disproportionately of women of color and immigrants who have historically been excluded from standard labor law protections.
The bill's core provisions would grant domestic employees written employment agreements, earned paid sick leave (at least one hour per 30 hours worked), meal and rest breaks, fair scheduling practices with 72-hour notice requirements, and overtime pay for live-in workers. It would prohibit employers from deducting wages for cash shortages or breakage, restrict surveillance in private spaces, protect workers from retaliation for asserting rights, and extend overtime requirements to live-in domestic employees currently exempt under federal law. Domestic workers would gain protection from discrimination under civil rights laws and privacy rights regarding personal communications and living spaces.
To implement and enforce these protections, the bill establishes a Domestic Employee Standards Board to recommend workplace standards and a national hotline for worker assistance. It authorizes federal grants for community-based education and enforcement efforts. The legislation also includes a two-year delayed enforcement period for government-funded programs and directs studies on benefits access for domestic workers.
The bill is funded through a temporary increase in Medicaid reimbursement rates for states providing home-based services, designed to prevent states from reducing care availability due to increased worker protections. The enforcement mechanisms allow workers to sue directly or file complaints with the Department of Labor, which has investigative and penalty authority.
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