Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act
Sponsored By: Senator Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY]
Introduced
Summary
Creates a federal "bill of rights" that would give domestic workers core workplace protections and benefits. It would set national rules on pay, privacy, written agreements, scheduling, paid sick leave, and enforcement supports.
Show full summary
- Workers: Would extend overtime to live-in employees and require plain-language written agreements, privacy and anti-retaliation protections, and meal and rest breaks. Live-in workers would get written termination notice and either 30 days lodging or severance equal to two weeks' average pay.
- Employers and households: Would require generally 72 hours' notice for schedules and pay adjustments for last-minute changes, ban unfair wage deductions and certain contract terms like forced arbitration, and allow civil penalties up to $15,000 for a first violation.
- States and Medicaid programs: Would direct Labor and HHS to apply these protections to Medicaid-funded personal care and provide a temporary FMAP increase over 20 quarters to help states cover costs, capped at up to 100%.
Additional features include a Domestic Employee Standards Board to set recommendations, a national hotline and community grants for outreach, a required benefits study, and rulemaking and enforcement authority for the Secretary of Labor.
Your PRIA Score
Personalized for You
How does this bill affect your finances?
Sign up for a PRIA Policy Scan to see your personalized alignment score for this bill and every other piece of legislation we track. We analyze your financial profile against policy provisions to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.
Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 4 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
New workplace rights for domestic workers
If enacted, many domestic workers would get new workplace protections. Live-in workers would be covered by overtime and would get written notice within 48 hours when fired and either 30 days lodging or severance equal to two weeks' average pay (with narrow abuse exceptions). Covered workers (expected to be paid 8+ hours per week) would get written agreements, scheduling notice, paid sick accrual (1 hour per 30 hours, up to 56 hours yearly), 30-minute meal breaks after 5 hours, and 10-minute rest breaks every 4 hours. The bill would also treat domestic work as affecting interstate commerce and extend federal anti-discrimination coverage to employers who hire domestic workers.
Medicaid rules and temporary federal match increase
If enacted, Labor and HHS would issue joint rules within one year to apply domestic worker protections to Medicaid-funded home and personal care services, including recognition of self-directed care and limits on shifting costs to consumers. The bill would temporarily increase the federal Medicaid match for domestic-care services for 20 quarters, with state-by-state percentage increases set by the Secretary. At the same time, enforcement and civil suits against government-funded programs and Medicaid-paid providers would be delayed for two years (with a possible one-year extension).
Enforcement and legal remedies for workers
If enacted, domestic workers would be able to sue to recover unpaid wages, benefits, and losses and seek equitable relief like reinstatement. Courts could award interest, liquidated damages equal to awards, and attorney and expert fees. The Labor Secretary could investigate, use subpoenas, require recordkeeping, and seek civil penalties up to $15,000 for a first violation and up to $25,000 for later violations.
Federal boards, grants, and outreach
If enacted, the bill would create a Domestic Employee Standards Board and an interagency Task Force to study conditions and coordinate enforcement. The Labor Secretary would award competitive grants to community groups, fund a national hotline, require a plain-language rights webpage, and order a study on benefits access with a report in 15 months. The bill also authorizes whatever appropriations are needed for these activities.
Safety rules and payment transparency
If enacted, the Labor Department and OSHA could write safety rules for domestic employees, including infectious-disease protections, that must be at least as protective as current law. The Labor Secretary would also issue a rule within one year to make it easier to use fiscal intermediaries for payments, to improve payment transparency and enforcement.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY]
NY • D
Cosponsors
Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM]
NM • D
Sponsored 12/9/2025
Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT]
CT • D
Sponsored 12/9/2025
Sen. Fetterman, John [D-PA]
PA • D
Sponsored 12/9/2025
Sen. Kaine, Tim [D-VA]
VA • D
Sponsored 12/9/2025
Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT]
VT • I
Sponsored 12/9/2025
Sen. Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL]
IL • D
Sponsored 12/9/2025
Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA]
MA • D
Sponsored 12/9/2025
Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR]
OR • D
Sponsored 12/9/2025
Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]
IL • D
Sponsored 12/9/2025
Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA]
MA • D
Sponsored 12/9/2025
Amy Klobuchar
MN • D
Sponsored 12/9/2025
Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA]
CA • D
Sponsored 12/9/2025
Sen. Baldwin, Tammy [D-WI]
WI • D
Sponsored 12/9/2025
Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA]
CA • D
Sponsored 12/9/2025
Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ]
NJ • D
Sponsored 12/9/2025
Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA]
WA • D
Sponsored 12/9/2025
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov