Comprehensive Paid Leave for Federal Employees Act
Sponsored By: Senator Schatz, Brian [D-HI]
Introduced
Summary
Expands paid family and medical leave across the Federal workforce and related entities. It creates a common, portable framework that lengthens leave time for covered family and medical events and coordinates those weeks with other paid-leave rules.
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- Creates a baseline paid family and medical leave entitlement of 12 administrative workweeks for most Federal employees and allows an additional period in some situations. When leave covers multiple qualifying events, combined leave can reach 26 workweeks.
- Extends similar paid-leave rules to employees covered by the Congressional Accountability Act and specifically brings the Government Accountability Office, Library of Congress, U.S. Postal Service, and Postal Regulatory Commission under the framework. It also clarifies coverage for Executive Office of the President staff and requires Veterans Affairs conformity.
- Builds a cap-and-coordination system that reduces the act's leave by days already taken under other laws to avoid double-counting. It also directs the District of Columbia Courts and the DC Public Defender Service to adopt PFML programs modeled on the federal standard.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
7 provisions identified: 6 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
More paid leave for Congressional staff
If enacted, this bill would change the Congressional Accountability Act’s family and medical leave rules so covered employees can take leave for any of the listed events (A through E). For such events the period would be 12 administrative workweeks plus any extra period named in the bill, and combined totals would be 26 workweeks plus that extra period. The bill also revises the term "eligible employee" to mean "covered employee" for most leave types.
More paid leave for GAO and Postal staff
If enacted, this bill would extend expanded paid family and medical leave rules to employees of the Government Accountability Office, the Library of Congress, the United States Postal Service, and the Postal Regulatory Commission. Those employees would be entitled to 12 administrative workweeks for qualifying events plus any extra period named in the bill, and combined totals would allow 26 workweeks plus that extra period. Adoption leave could begin before placement for necessary adoption activities. The bill also replaces "parental" language with broader family and medical leave terms.
VA must align its leave rules
If enacted, this bill would require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to modify the VA family and medical leave program under title 38 so it conforms with this Act. The Secretary would have to complete the modification not later than 30 days after enactment.
More paid leave for federal employees
If enacted, this bill would change Title 5 paid family and medical leave for federal employees covered by chapter 63. You would generally get 12 administrative workweeks of leave for qualifying family or medical events, and those 12 weeks would include any extra period named in the bill under subsection (d)(2)(B)(ii). For combined calculations, a 26-workweek total would also include that extra period. Adoption leave could start before placement for necessary adoption activities. Any Title 5 paid leave for an event would be reduced by the paid days you already used for that event under other laws.
Broader leave for FAA and TSA staff
If enacted, this bill would remove the word "parental" from a leave rule that applies to FAA and TSA employees. That would broaden the language used for that leave, though the bill does not set pay levels.
More leave categories for EOP staff
If enacted, this bill would change two cross-references in Executive Office of the President rules to cover subparagraphs A through E instead of only A or B. That would let more family and medical leave categories apply to EOP employees.
Paid leave for D.C. courts and defenders
If enacted, this bill would require the Director of the D.C. Public Defender Service and the Joint Committee for D.C. courts to set up paid family and medical leave programs for their employees. The programs must cover the FMLA events listed in subparagraphs A through E and may use Title 5 chapter 63 rules as guidance.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Schatz, Brian [D-HI]
HI • D
Cosponsors
Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA]
CA • D
Sponsored 7/29/2026
Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT]
VT • I
Sponsored 7/29/2026
Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD]
MD • D
Sponsored 7/29/2026
Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM]
NM • D
Sponsored 7/29/2026
Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA]
MA • D
Sponsored 7/29/2026
Sen. Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL]
IL • D
Sponsored 7/29/2026
Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY]
NY • D
Sponsored 7/29/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov