# 119-hr-656: Protecting Military Parental Leave Evaluations Act

119-hr-656, Protecting Military Parental Leave Evaluations Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Bice, Stephanie I. [R-OK-5] (R-OK); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-656
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-656
- Congress: 119
- Title: Protecting Military Parental Leave Evaluations Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-01-23
- Sponsor: Rep. Bice, Stephanie I. [R-OK-5] (R-OK)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**Protect service members from being penalized for taking parental leave.** This bill would require the Department of Defense to exempt members who take parental leave longer than 31 consecutive days from performance evaluations and allow them to take that leave within two years after a birth, adoption, or placement without seeking a waiver. - Military parents: Allows members to take paid parental leave under current law at any point within two years after a child's birth, adoption, or placement without needing a waiver. - Service members' evaluations: Exempts members who take parental leave that exceeds 31 consecutive days from receiving a performance evaluation. - Department of Defense and oversight: Directs the Secretary of Defense to issue implementing regulations within 180 days and to report to the Armed Services committees on how the rules are put into place.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Rep. Houlahan, Chrissy [D-PA-6] (D-PA), 2025-01-23T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Stronger parental leave protections for service members: benefit, medium. If enacted, the Pentagon would have 180 days to issue rules. You could take your 12 weeks of military parental leave anytime within two years after birth, adoption, or placement, without a waiver. If you take more than 31 straight days of this leave, you would be exempt from a performance evaluatio…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-3816: Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025
- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-2756: National Biotechnology Initiative Act of 2025
- 119-hr-8545: Access to Donor Milk Act of 2026
- 119-hr-3089: More Paid Leave for More Americans Act
- 119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-656 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/656)

## Related
- [119-hr-3816: Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3816)
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-2756: National Biotechnology Initiative Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2756)
- [119-hr-8545: Access to Donor Milk Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8545)
- [119-hr-3089: More Paid Leave for More Americans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3089)
- [119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1262)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-656 (as of 2026-04-21).