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S4081119th CongressWALLET

Fair Wages for Home Care Workers Act

Sponsored By: Senator Murray, Patty [D-WA]

Introduced

Summary

Tightening wage protections for home care workers. This bill would narrow the Fair Labor Standards Act's domestic service exemption so it covers only casual babysitting and explicitly excludes trained professional caregivers from that exemption.

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  • Families and household employers would face a narrower exemption. Workers who qualify as trained caregivers would no longer be treated as casual babysitters for wage and overtime rules.
  • Home care workers and trained professionals such as home health aides and nurses would be excluded from the babysitting exemption, making them subject to FLSA minimum wage and overtime protections rather than exempt status.
  • Casual babysitters would remain the core exempt category, but "casual basis" would be defined by the Secretary and incidental non-babysitting household tasks could not exceed 20% of total babysitting hours.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

1 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.

Tighter pay rules for home caregivers

This bill would narrow which household workers are exempt from minimum wage and overtime. It would limit the exemption so it only covers casual babysitting, meaning custodial care of children in their private home. The bill would define "casual basis" as irregular or intermittent work not done by someone whose vocation is babysitting, and it would let unrelated household chores count only if they are 20 percent or less of babysitting hours. It would explicitly exclude trained nurses and home-care workers (for example, home health aides and personal care aides) from the babysitting exemption. The bill would also repeal subsection (b)(21), which could make some workers newly eligible for wage and overtime protections. These changes would take effect upon enactment and could require household employers to start paying wages and overtime.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Murray, Patty [D-WA]

WA • D

Cosponsors

  • Sen. Kim, Andy [D-NJ]

    NJ • D

    Sponsored 3/12/2026

  • Sen. Baldwin, Tammy [D-WI]

    WI • D

    Sponsored 3/12/2026

  • Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT]

    CT • D

    Sponsored 3/12/2026

  • Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ]

    NJ • D

    Sponsored 3/12/2026

  • Sen. Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL]

    IL • D

    Sponsored 3/12/2026

  • Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]

    IL • D

    Sponsored 3/12/2026

  • Sen. Gallego, Ruben [D-AZ]

    AZ • D

    Sponsored 3/12/2026

  • Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY]

    NY • D

    Sponsored 3/12/2026

  • Sen. Hickenlooper, John W. [D-CO]

    CO • D

    Sponsored 3/12/2026

  • Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI]

    HI • D

    Sponsored 3/12/2026

  • Sen. Kaine, Tim [D-VA]

    VA • D

    Sponsored 3/12/2026

  • Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA]

    MA • D

    Sponsored 3/12/2026

  • Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA]

    CA • D

    Sponsored 3/12/2026

  • Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT]

    VT • I

    Sponsored 3/12/2026

  • Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD]

    MD • D

    Sponsored 3/12/2026

  • Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA]

    MA • D

    Sponsored 3/12/2026

  • Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR]

    OR • D

    Sponsored 3/12/2026

  • Sen. Schumer, Charles E. [D-NY]

    NY • D

    Sponsored 3/12/2026

  • Sen. Alsobrooks, Angela D. [D-MD]

    MD • D

    Sponsored 3/25/2026

  • Sen. Welch, Peter [D-VT]

    VT • D

    Sponsored 4/13/2026

  • Sen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT]

    CT • D

    Sponsored 6/15/2026

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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