Bill · S. 408· Senate(119-S-408)
Job Protection Act
- Introduced
- 2/5/2025
- Last activity
- 2/5/2025 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- Sponsored by
- Tina Smith
- Cosponsors
- - 6 - 0
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The Job Protection Act aims to expand the number of employees eligible for leave and the number of employers required to provide it. It modifies the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 to reduce the required employment duration for leave eligibility to 90 days. The bill also updates rules for Federal, Presidential, and Congressional employees regarding leave requirements. Furthermore, it changes the employer threshold for being subject to leave requirements. These changes apply to leave taken on or after the date of enactment.
Yes· 3 of 4
Would union members be better off under this?+4
The bill enhances worker protections and job security through expanded leave eligibility.
Does this strengthen the rights of workers to organise?+4
The bill expands job protection by allowing workers to access medical and family leave after only 90 days of employment.
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?+3
The bill increases leave protections for a broader range of workers, which benefits those in smaller employment settings.
The opposite
Would business owners be better off under this?-6
Small business owners will now be subject to mandatory leave requirements that previously only applied to larger companies.
Does this make it easier to run a small business?-5
The bill imposes leave requirements on much smaller employers by lowering the threshold from 50 employees to just 1.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Expanded Eligibility for Private Employees: By amending Section 101(2) of the Family and Medical Leave Act to require only 90 days of employment instead of longer periods, more workers can access leave protections sooner (Section 2(a)).
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Increased Protections for Federal Employees: The bill amends Title 5 to reduce the time required for leave eligibility from 12 months to 90 days (Section 2(b)(1)).
-
Increased Protections for Presidential Employees: The bill changes the requirement for Presidential employees from 12 months and 1,250 hours to just 90 days (Section 2(b)(2)).
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Increased Protections for Congressional Employees: The bill changes the requirement for Congressional employees from 12 months and 1,250 hours to 90 days (Section 2(b)(3)).
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Broader Coverage for Employees of Small Businesses: By amending Section 101(4)(A)(i) of the Family and Medical Leave Act to apply to employers with 1 or more employees instead of 50 or more, more people will be covered by leave requirements (Section 3).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Increased Requirements for Smaller Employers: The bill changes the threshold for employers subject to leave requirements from 50 or more employees to 1 or more employees (Section 3).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Poverty Reduction+2
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Union Workers+4Good For Low Income Households+3Good For Business Owners-6
- Economy And Finance
- Improves Union Protections+4Improves Small Business Support-5
- 2/5/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- 7 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Richard BlumenthalDemocrat · Connecticut
Richard DurbinDemocrat · Illinois
Kirsten GillibrandDemocrat · New York
Patty MurrayDemocrat · Washington
Alex PadillaDemocrat · California
Bernie SandersIndependent · Vermont
Elizabeth WarrenDemocrat · Massachusetts