Honoring Family-Friendly Workplaces Act
Officially: “Honoring Family-Friendly Workplaces Act” Read the full text
What it does
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1Short title
This section would let the Act be called the Honoring Family-Friendly Workplaces Act.
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1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Honoring Family-Friendly Workplaces Act .
2Definitions
This section would set the meaning of terms used in the Act. Employee and employer would have the same meanings already given those terms in section 3 of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. Secretary would mean the Secretary of Labor.
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2. Definitions In this Act: (1) Employee; employer The terms employee and employer have the meanings given such terms in section 3 of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 ( 29 U.S.C. 203 ). (2) Secretary The term Secretary means the Secretary of Labor.
3Certification program established
This section would direct the Secretary of Labor to set up a national certification program that awards a family-friendly certification to employers with a commitment to helping employees balance work responsibilities and family obligations. To be eligible, an employer would have to carry out every one of the following family-friendly policies and benefits, not just some of them: (1) assistance paying for, or referring employees to, fertility or adoption services; (2) paid family leave of at least 12 weeks per year that employees can use for the birth of a child and to care for that child, the placement of a child with the employee for adoption or foster care, the employee's own serious health condition (including pregnancy, childbirth, or pregnancy loss), a family member's serious health condition as defined in section 101 of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, or specific military caregiving and leave; (3) paid sick days for employees that are kept separate from any days accrued under a general paid time off policy; (4) a child care subsidy, or policies letting parents work alongside their infants in safe settings; (5) flexible-hours policies for a parent once they return to work after a birth, adoption, or foster care placement; (6) if feasible, policies letting employees work remotely as needed for reasons related to caring for a child; and (7) lactation support, including reimbursement for delivering expressed breastmilk while the employee is traveling, access to pumps, kits, and other lactation supplies and amenities, and access to lactation consultants and support. An employer that wants a certification would submit an application to the Secretary, at whatever time, with whatever information, and in whatever manner the Secretary requires. The Secretary would review each application and award a family-friendly certification to an employer whose application shows it has met all of the criteria above. The Act would authorize the appropriation of whatever sums are necessary to carry it out.
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3. Certification program established (a) In general The Secretary shall establish a national certification program to award certifications to recognize employers that have a commitment to helping employees balance employment responsibilities and family obligations (referred to in this section as family-friendly certifications ). (b) Criteria for certification In order to be eligible to receive a family-friendly certification, an employer must carry out each of the following family-friendly employment policies and benefits: (1) Assistance paying for, or referring employees to, fertility or adoption services. (2) Paid family leave of not less than 12 weeks per year, including the option to use leave for any of the following reasons: (A) The birth of a child of the employee and in order to care for such child. (B) The placement of a child with the employee for adoption or foster care. (C) To address the employee's own serious health condition, including pregnancy, childbirth, or pregnancy loss. (D) To address the serious health condition (as defined in section 101 of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 ( 29 U.S.C. 2611 )) of a family member. (E) For specific military caregiving and leave. (3) Paid sick days for employees that are separate from time accrued as part of a paid time off policy. (4) A subsidy for child care or policies that allow parents to work alongside their infants in safe settings. (5) Policies that allow for flexible hours once a parent returns to work after a birth, adoption, or foster care placement. (6) If feasible, policies that allow employees to work remotely as needed for reasons related to the care of a child. (7) Lactation support, such as reimbursement of expressed breastmilk delivery while on travel, access to pumps, kits, and other lactation supplies and amenities, and access to lactation consultants and support. (c) Application An employer who desires to receive a family-friendly certification from the Secretary under this section shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, containing such information, and in such manner as the Secretary may require. (d) Award of certification The Secretary shall review applications submitted under subparagraph (c) and award a family-friendly certification to an employer whose application demonstrates that the employer has met the requirements established under subsection (b) regarding family-friendly policies and benefits. (e) Authorization of appropriations There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act such sums as may be necessary.
Where it is
In the House.