Healthy Families Act
Latest action · May 12, 2011 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text of measure as introduced in Senate: CR S2949-2954)
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedMay 12, 2011
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Healthy Families Act - 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 1 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.
Directs the Secretary of Labor to exercise certain investigative and enforcement authority for employees covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 or the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991. Grants the same authority, for employees under their jurisdiction, to the Librarian of Congress, the Comptroller General, the Board of Directors of the congressional Office of Compliance, and the Merit Systems Protection Board.
Authorizes civil actions by employees, individuals, or their representatives for damages or equitable relief against employers who violate this Act.
Waives a state's sovereign immunity with respect to a suit brought by an employee of a federally-assisted state program or activity for relief authorized under this Act.
Requires the Commissioner of Labor Statistics to annually compile information on paid sick time and the Comptroller General to study related matters.
Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed to discourage employers from adopting or retaining more generous leave policies.
Cosponsors 18
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from May 12, 2011 to Jul 14, 2011; 17 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-MN | Al Franken | Original | May 12, 2011 |
| D-MD | Barbara A. Mikulski | Original | May 12, 2011 |
| I-VT | Bernard Sanders | Original | May 12, 2011 |
| D-MI | Carl Levin | Original | May 12, 2011 |
| D-NY | Charles E. Schumer | Original | May 12, 2011 |
| D-HI | Daniel K. Akaka | Original | May 12, 2011 |
| D-HI | Daniel K. Inouye | Original | May 12, 2011 |
| D-NJ | Frank R. Lautenberg | Original | May 12, 2011 |
| D-OR | Jeff Merkley | Original | May 12, 2011 |
| D-MA | John F. Kerry | Original | May 12, 2011 |
| D-NY | Kirsten E. Gillibrand | Original | May 12, 2011 |
| D-WA | Patty Murray | Original | May 12, 2011 |
| D-CT | Richard Blumenthal | Original | May 12, 2011 |
| D-IL | Richard J. Durbin | Original | May 12, 2011 |
| D-PA | Robert P. Casey Jr. | Original | May 12, 2011 |
| D-RI | Sheldon Whitehouse | Original | May 12, 2011 |
| D-OH | Sherrod Brown | Original | May 12, 2011 |
| D-SD | Tim Johnson | Jul 14, 2011 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee | Referred May 12, 2011 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- May 12, 2011Introduced in Senate
- May 12, 2011Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S2948-2949)
- May 12, 2011Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text of measure as introduced in Senate: CR S2949-2954)
In the Congressional Record 1
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate | Debate and remarks S2948Text printed S2949–S2954 | Tom Harkin D-IA (text) | May 12, 2011 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Printed hearings 2
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| S. Hrg. 112-907 | BEYOND MOTHER'S DAY: HELPING THE MIDDLE CLASS BALANCE WORK AND FAMILY66 pages | Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee | May 10, 2012 |
| Serial No. 112-33 | THE FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT: IS IT MEETING THE NEEDS OF THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY WORKPLACE?88 pages | Education and Workforce Committee | Jul 14, 2011 |
Related bills 4
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 1876 | Healthy Families Act | Related bill | Sep 8, 2011 |
| S 2252 | Rebuild America Act | Related bill | Mar 29, 2012 |
| HR 2346 | Balancing Act of 2011 | Related bill | Sep 8, 2011 |
| HR 5727 | Rebuild America Act | Related bill | Jun 4, 2012 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to allow Americans to earn paid sick time so that they can address their own health needs and the health needs of their families.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Healthy Families Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Labor and Employment.
- Civil actions and liability
- Congressional oversight
- Domestic violence and child abuse
- Employee leave
- Employment discrimination and employee rights
- Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
- Government information and archives
- Government liability
- Government studies and investigations
- Labor and Employment
- Sex offenses
- State and local government operations
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- May 12, 2011Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
