Part-Time Worker Bill of Rights Act
Sponsored By: Representative Schakowsky
Introduced
Summary
Shortens FMLA eligibility to 90 days and creates new rights for part‑time and temporary workers. The bill reduces the service hurdle for family and medical leave and adds rules on scheduling, pay, and enforcement for workers with irregular hours.
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- Families and caregivers: Employees become eligible for the Family and Medical Leave Act after 90 days of employment, replacing prior requirements of 12 months and 1,250 hours. The FMLA change takes effect one year after enactment.
- Part‑time and temporary workers: Bars discrimination against employees scheduled for fewer hours or shorter durations when the work is substantially equal. Employers must get written availability statements, give existing employees first opportunity for requested hours, and in many cases pay employees for hours displaced by new hires; coverage generally applies to employers with more than 15 employees.
- Enforcement and federal implementation: The Secretary of Labor gets investigation and subpoena power and Title II allows private lawsuits for back pay, liquidated damages, and attorneys' fees with a 2‑year statute of limitations and 3 years for willful violations. The Secretary, the Office of Personnel Management, the GAO, the Board of the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights, and the President must issue implementing regulations within 180 days.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
6 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 4 mixed.
FMLA eligibility after 90 days
This bill would let you qualify for FMLA leave after 90 days with the same employer instead of needing 12 months and 1,250 hours. It would replace the longer service tests in related federal and Congressional rules. This change would take effect one year after enactment.
Protections for part-time workers
This bill would make it illegal for employers to punish workers for using Title II rights or for helping investigations. It would bar treating you worse because you work fewer hours when jobs are substantially equal in skill and conditions. It would protect pay rates, scheduling notice and input, pro rata benefits, promotions, and training when work is substantially equal.
Enforcement, penalties, and records
The bill would let the Labor Secretary investigate and enforce Title II and bring civil actions. Employees could recover lost wages, benefits, interest, liquidated damages, and attorney fees. Employers would have to keep personnel and payroll records for at least three years and could face civil fines of $500–$1,000 or $1,100–$5,000 per violation, with annual inflation adjustments starting in 2024.
Who counts as employee or employer
The bill would define which workers are covered by Title II and who counts as an employer for coverage. It would count full‑time, part‑time, and temporary workers toward the more‑than‑15 employee threshold and allow aggregation across related businesses and franchises. That could give more employees protections while making more employers subject to the rules.
Written availability and hiring priority
If enacted, employers would collect a written statement of your desired weekly hours and when you are available when you are hired. Employers would generally have to offer those hours to existing employees before hiring outside workers, unless employees are unavailable, unqualified, or assigning the hours would require overtime pay at 1.5×. If a new hire works hours you said you were available for, the employer would generally have to pay you for each such hour unless a listed exception applies.
Agency rule deadlines for Title II
The bill would require the Secretary of Labor and certain agencies to issue matching Title II implementing regulations within 180 days of enactment. Agencies could only modify those rules for good cause and must consider enforcement and remedies for their own personnel.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Schakowsky
IL • D
Cosponsors
Rep. DeLauro, Rosa L. [D-CT-3]
CT • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Rep. Lynch, Stephen F. [D-MA-8]
MA • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Stansbury
NM • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Rep. Doggett, Lloyd [D-TX-37]
TX • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
McGovern
MA • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]
DC • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Simon
CA • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12]
MI • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Rep. Goldman, Daniel S. [D-NY-10]
NY • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Carson
IN • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Rep. Dingell, Debbie [D-MI-6]
MI • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Rep. Deluzio, Christopher R. [D-PA-17]
PA • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Rep. Hayes, Jahana [D-CT-5]
CT • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Rep. Thanedar, Shri [D-MI-13]
MI • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Rep. Chu, Judy [D-CA-28]
CA • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Pingree
ME • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Rep. Lieu, Ted [D-CA-36]
CA • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Rep. García, Jesús G. "Chuy" [D-IL-4]
IL • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Bonamici
OR • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Rep. Evans, Dwight [D-PA-3]
PA • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Rep. Tokuda, Jill N. [D-HI-2]
HI • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Rep. Ramirez, Delia C. [D-IL-3]
IL • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Adams
NC • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Cherfilus-McCormick
FL • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Rep. McIver, LaMonica [D-NJ-10]
NJ • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Rep. Ansari, Yassamin [D-AZ-3]
AZ • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Rep. Casar, Greg [D-TX-35]
TX • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Rep. Salinas, Andrea [D-OR-6]
OR • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
McBride
DE • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Barragan
CA • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Rep. Magaziner, Seth [D-RI-2]
RI • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Rep. DeSaulnier, Mark [D-CA-10]
CA • D
Sponsored 1/21/2026
McCollum
MN • D
Sponsored 1/22/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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