# 119-hr-8731: Federal Employee Short-Term Disability Insurance Act of 2026

119-hr-8731, Federal Employee Short-Term Disability Insurance Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8731
- As of: 2026-09-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-8731
- Congress: 119
- Title: Federal Employee Short-Term Disability Insurance Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-05-11
- Sponsor: Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-21

## Summary

**Creates a voluntary short-term disability insurance program for Federal employees.** It covers non-work injuries and provides paid leave options to care for family, including birth, adoption, and foster placement. - Federal employees gain a voluntary benefit that can pay up to 12 months per eligible instance. Benefits equal the lesser of 70% of an employee’s current pay or 70% of the GS-15 maximum, and premiums are 100% paid by enrolled employees and withheld from pay. - Families and new parents can use the benefit to care for a family member, to bond after birth, or to arrange foster or adoptive placement. Employees pick a waiting period of 8, 31, 91, or 181 days; shorter waits increase premiums. - Administration and insurers are governed by the Office of Personnel Management Director through contracts with licensed carriers. Contracts run 3 to 7 years, must be fully insured, forbid preexisting-condition exclusions, require separate accounting, and allow internal and third-party dispute review as specified in the contract.

## Provisions PRIA read

- Federal preemption and premium tax ban: benefit, low. If enacted, contract terms under the program would override State, territorial, tribal, and local laws about non-work disability insurance to the extent the contract specifies. States and localities could not impose taxes, fees, or other monetary charges on premiums for these federal policies, thou…
- Voluntary short-term disability for federal workers: mixed, high. If enacted, the bill would create a voluntary short-term disability program for civilian federal employees, including USPS and Postal Regulatory Commission workers. Enrolled employees would be able to get up to 12 months of pay replacement for each non-work disability, family-care leave (including…
- Insurer contracts and enrollment rules: mixed, low. If enacted, the OPM Director could contract with private carriers to run plans under 3 to 7 year contracts that may auto-renew each January 1. Contracts would have to list benefits, exclusions, premium rules, enrollment rules, and eligibility. Carriers would have to offer internal claims processes,…
- OPM startup funding and reporting: mixed, low. If enacted, OPM could use the Employees' Life Insurance Fund to pay reasonable startup and implementation costs before the first contract year. Carriers would have to repay those advances (including lost investment income) and make periodic contributions to a new administrative account to cover OPM…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-8870: BUILD America 250 Act
- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-10421: Transforming Education for the Future Act
- 119-hr-6900: American Affordability Act of 2025
- 119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-8731 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8731)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-8870: BUILD America 250 Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8870)
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-10421: Transforming Education for the Future Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-10421)
- [119-hr-6900: American Affordability Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6900)
- [119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4669)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8731 (as of 2026-09-21).