# 119-s-3396: Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act 119-s-3396, Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY] (D-NY); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-04-21). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3396 - As of: 2026-04-21 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: 119-s-3396 - Congress: 119 - Title: Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act - Status: introduced - Introduced: 2025-12-09 - Sponsor: Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY] (D-NY) - Cosponsors: 17 - Policy area: Labor and Employment - Touches household money: yes - Last recorded action: 2026-04-21 ## Summary **Creates national labor standards for domestic workers.** This bill would extend overtime and core workplace rights to live-in and other domestic employees, require written agreements and predictable schedules, and push federal health programs to apply these protections when services are paid by Medicaid. - Domestic workers: Would make live-in domestic employees eligible for overtime and require signed written agreements that list pay, schedule, lodging rules, grievance steps, and bar forced arbitration or gag clauses. Employers must provide initial agreements within 5 days of hire or by the day before first work and keep them 3 years. - Employers: Would require a written termination notice within 48 hours and either lodging or severance equal to two weeks' average pay. It would also limit monitoring in private spaces, require meal and rest breaks, and create civil damages and administrative penalties for violations. - Medicaid and supports: Would require HHS and Labor to write rules to apply these rights when care is funded by Medicaid and provide a temporary FMAP increase for 20 quarters. The bill would also create an 11-member Domestic Employee Standards Board, a national hotline grant, community grants, and an interagency enforcement task force. ## Cosponsors (17) - Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM] (D-NM), 2025-12-09T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] (D-CT), 2025-12-09T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Fetterman, John [D-PA] (D-PA), 2025-12-09T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Kaine, Tim [D-VA] (D-VA), 2025-12-09T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT] (I-VT), 2025-12-09T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL] (D-IL), 2025-12-09T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA] (D-MA), 2025-12-09T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (D-OR), 2025-12-09T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL] (D-IL), 2025-12-09T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA] (D-MA), 2025-12-09T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN] (D-MN), 2025-12-09T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA] (D-CA), 2025-12-09T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Baldwin, Tammy [D-WI] (D-WI), 2025-12-09T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA] (D-CA), 2025-12-09T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ] (D-NJ), 2025-12-09T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA] (D-WA), 2025-12-09T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Welch, Peter [D-VT] (D-VT), 2026-01-12T00:00:00.000Z ## Provisions PRIA read - Core workplace rights and enforcement: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would list many worker protections for domestic employees, including privacy and limits on wage deductions, anti-retaliation rules, and coverage of live-in workers for some rights. The Department of Labor would get investigation and subpoena powers, recordkeeping rules, and cou… - Paid sick time for domestic workers: benefit, medium. If enacted, employers would give you at least 1 hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours you work. You could accrue up to 56 hours per calendar year unless your employer gives more. Accrual would start at hire, but you generally could not use the time before day 60 unless your employer allows it.… - Rules for live-in workers and severance: benefit, medium. If enacted, live-in domestic workers would no longer be exempt from overtime protections. Employers requiring live-in status would have to provide reasonable phone and internet access. If a live-in worker is terminated, the employer must give written notice within 48 hours and either 30 days of lod… - Schedule notice, cancellations, and breaks: benefit, medium. If enacted, employers would have to give at least 72 hours' written notice of schedule changes or an agreed estimate of hours. If your employer cancels less than 72 hours before a shift, you would normally be paid half your regular rate for the lost hours. If your employer cancels after you arrive,… - Written job agreements and notice: benefit, low. If enacted, most domestic employees expected to be paid at least 8 hours a week would get a signed, plain-language written job agreement. New hires would get it within 5 days or before first work. Employers would update the agreement within 30 days of changes and keep records for 3 years. The Depar… - Federal employer grievance rules: benefit, low. If enacted, certain domestic employees who work in covered federal settings would use special grievance procedures that apply to Congress, the President, and federal agencies. This would change how those employees file and resolve workplace claims. - Hotline, grants, and coordination supports: benefit, low. If enacted, the Department of Labor would fund a national hotline and give competitive grants to community groups to help domestic employees with rights, claims, and mediation. The bill would create a Domestic Employee Standards Board and an interagency Task Force to coordinate federal outreach and… - Medicaid-funded home care rules and funding: mixed, high. If enacted, the Departments of Labor and HHS would write rules within one year to apply domestic worker protections to services paid by Medicaid, including self-directed care. States could not force people to use their direct-service budget to pay for these protections in most cases. The bill pause… ## Related bills - 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026 - 119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act - 119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026 - 119-s-1503: Equality Act - 119-s-852: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025 - 119-s-2150: Women’s Health Protection Act of 2025 ## Sources - [119-s-3396 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3396) ## Related - [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066) - [119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-51) - [119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5108) - [119-s-1503: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1503) - [119-s-852: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-852) - [119-s-2150: Women’s Health Protection Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2150) - [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3396 (as of 2026-04-21).