The Family and Medical Insurance Leave Act establishes a federal paid family and medical leave insurance program administered by the Social Security Administration, providing monthly cash benefits to workers who take qualifying leave for reasons such as caring for seriously ill family members, their own health conditions, childbirth or adoption, or situations involving family violence or sexual assault. To qualify, individuals must have earned at least $2,000 in wages over the past two years and be actively engaged in caregiving, with benefits ranging from $580 to $4,000 monthly (adjusted annually) and replacing 50-85% of average earnings depending on income level. The program includes strong employee protections prohibiting employer retaliation, requiring employers to restore workers to their original positions and maintain health insurance during approved leave, and allows individuals to sue for damages if these protections are violated. The bill provides federal grants to states that already have their own paid family and medical leave programs to help sustain those programs and designates the Social Security Administration to implement the program with support from a 15-member advisory board of state and federal experts. The Government Accountability Office is required to conduct comprehensive studies every five years starting in 2026 to evaluate program performance, processing times, and identify any disparities in how benefits are distributed.
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