# 119-s-5017: More Paid Leave for More Americans Act

119-s-5017, More Paid Leave for More Americans Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Boozman, John [R-AR] (R-AR); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-09).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5017
- As of: 2026-10-09
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-5017
- Congress: 119
- Title: More Paid Leave for More Americans Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-07-16
- Sponsor: Sen. Boozman, John [R-AR] (R-AR)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Labor and Employment
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-09

## Summary

**Would create a federal grant and interstate coordination system to expand access to State paid family and medical leave.** This bill would pay States that run covered public‑private paid leave programs, set minimum benefit rules, and fund a national intermediary to build interstate claims and data systems. - Workers and families: Would require at least 6 weeks of paid leave and set a weekly benefit cap at 150% of a State's average weekly wage. Low‑income workers would receive a larger share of their wages while higher earners would receive about half. - States: Would offer competitive grants to States with covered partnerships to run paid leave programs and would also provide conforming and implementation grants. State awards are set between $1.5 million and $8.0 million annually and grants are authorized for FY2027 through FY2029. - Interstate coordination and employers: Would fund a five‑year national intermediary grant to build interoperable tech, publish a public roadmap within 12 months, and produce annual comparative reports. Grants can also help small businesses with payroll contributions and technical help, and rules limit total weekly payments across multiple employers.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY] (D-NY), 2026-07-16T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Interstate paid leave network and grants: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would create an Interstate Paid Leave Action Network (I-PLAN) to help States coordinate paid leave rules and claims across State lines. A national intermediary would get a single grant to run I-PLAN, publish a public roadmap within 12 months, produce annual comparative reports,…
- Minimum standards for State paid leave: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would define an eligible State paid leave program and set minimum rules. Programs would have to provide at least six weeks of paid leave for a qualifying reason in a 12‑month period and set an annual weekly maximum benefit equal to 150% of the State average weekly wage using th…
- Federal grants to help State paid leave: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would create competitive federal grants to States that have eligible paid leave laws. Title I grants to States would range from $1,500,000 to $7,000,000 per award and require State applications and annual reporting. Grant funds could pay start‑up costs, limited benefit payments…
- How paid leave pay is calculated: mixed, high. If enacted, your weekly paid leave would be your average weekly earnings times a replacement rate. If your last four quarters of earnings are at or below the poverty line for a four-person household, the rate would be at least 67%. If your earnings are between that poverty line and twice that amoun…
- Employers can self-administer paid leave: mixed, low. If enacted, the bill would let employers self-administer paid leave when their employer-provided benefits meet or exceed the State program's requirements. This would reduce paperwork and state interaction for some employers. It would also shift compliance, cash‑flow, and enforcement responsibilitie…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5526: Agricultural Act of 2026
- 119-s-4744: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act
- 119-s-3492: Essential Caregivers Act of 2025
- 119-s-1245: Servicemembers and Veterans Empowerment and Support Act of 2025
- 119-s-2287: Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act
- 119-s-5025: Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026

## Sources
- [119-s-5017 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5017)

## Related
- [119-s-5526: Agricultural Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5526)
- [119-s-4744: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4744)
- [119-s-3492: Essential Caregivers Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3492)
- [119-s-1245: Servicemembers and Veterans Empowerment and Support Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1245)
- [119-s-2287: Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2287)
- [119-s-5025: Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5025)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5017 (as of 2026-10-09).