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[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5781 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

  2d Session
                                H. R. 5781

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                June 20 (legislative day, June 19), 2008

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security 
                        and Governmental Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT

 
To provide that 8 of the 12 weeks of parental leave made available to a 
     Federal employee shall be paid leave, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Federal Employees Paid Parental 
Leave Act of 2008''.

SEC. 2. PAID PARENTAL LEAVE UNDER TITLE 5.

    (a) Amendment to Title 5.--Subsection (d) of section 6382 of title 
5, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by redesignating such subsection as subsection (d)(1);
            (2) by striking ``subparagraph (A), (B), (C), or'' and 
        inserting ``subparagraph (C) or''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(2) An employee may elect to substitute for any leave without pay 
under subparagraph (A) or (B) of subsection (a)(1) any paid leave which 
is available to such employee for that purpose.
    ``(3) The paid leave that is available to an employee for purposes 
of paragraph (2) is--
            ``(A) subject to paragraph (6), 4 administrative workweeks 
        of paid parental leave under this subparagraph in connection 
        with the birth or placement involved; and
            ``(B) any annual or sick leave accrued or accumulated by 
        such employee under subchapter I.
    ``(4) Nothing in this subsection shall be considered to require 
that an employee first use all or any portion of the leave described in 
subparagraph (B) of paragraph (3) before being allowed to use the paid 
parental leave described in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (3).
    ``(5) Paid parental leave under paragraph (3)(A)--
            ``(A) shall be payable from any appropriation or fund 
        available for salaries or expenses for positions within the 
        employing agency;
            ``(B) shall not be considered to be annual or vacation 
        leave for purposes of section 5551 or 5552 or for any other 
        purpose; and
            ``(C) if not used by the employee before the end of the 12-
        month period (as referred to in subsection (a)(1)) to which it 
        relates, shall not accumulate for any subsequent use.
    ``(6) The Director of the Office of Personnel Management--
            ``(A) may promulgate regulations to increase the amount of 
        paid parental leave available to an employee under paragraph 
        (3)(A), to a total of not more than 8 administrative workweeks, 
        based on the consideration of--
                    ``(i) the benefits provided to the Federal 
                Government of offering increased paid parental leave, 
                including enhanced recruitment and retention of 
                employees;
                    ``(ii) the cost to the Federal Government of 
                increasing the amount of paid parental leave that is 
                available to employees;
                    ``(iii) trends in the private sector and in State 
                and local governments with respect to offering paid 
                parental leave;
                    ``(iv) the Federal Government's role as a model 
                employer; and
                    ``(v) such other factors as the Director considers 
                necessary; and
            ``(B) shall prescribe any regulations necessary to carry 
        out this subsection, including, subject to paragraph (4), the 
        manner in which an employee may designate any day or other 
        period as to which such employee wishes to use paid parental 
        leave described in paragraph (3)(A).''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by this section shall not 
be effective with respect to any birth or placement occurring before 
the end of the 6-month period beginning on the date of the enactment of 
this Act.

SEC. 3. PAID PARENTAL LEAVE FOR CONGRESSIONAL EMPLOYEES.

    (a) Amendment to Congressional Accountability Act.--Section 202 of 
the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1312) is 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(1), by adding at the end the 
        following: ``In applying section 102(a)(1)(A) and (B) of such 
        Act to covered employees, subsection (d) shall apply.'';
            (2) by redesignating subsections (d) and (e) as subsections 
        (e) and (f), respectively; and
            (3) by inserting after subsection (c) the following:
    ``(d) Special Rule for Paid Parental Leave for Congressional 
Employees.--
            ``(1) Substitution of paid leave.--A covered employee 
        taking leave without pay under subparagraph (A) or (B) of 
        section 102(a)(1) of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 
        (29 U.S.C. 2612(a)(1)) may elect to substitute for any such 
        leave any paid leave which is available to such employee for 
        that purpose.
            ``(2) Amount of paid leave.--The paid leave that is 
        available to a covered employee for purposes of paragraph (1) 
        is--
                    ``(A) the number of weeks of paid parental leave in 
                connection with the birth or placement involved that 
                correspond to the number of administrative workweeks of 
                paid parental leave available to Federal employees 
                under section 6382(d)(3)(A) of title 5, United States 
                Code; and
                    ``(B) any additional paid vacation or sick leave 
                provided by the employing office to such employee.
            ``(3) Limitation.--Nothing in this subsection shall be 
        considered to require that an employee first use all or any 
        portion of the leave described in subparagraph (B) of paragraph 
        (2) before being allowed to use the paid parental leave 
        described in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (2).
            ``(4) Additional rules.--Paid parental leave under 
        paragraph (2)(A)--
                    ``(A) shall be payable from any appropriation or 
                fund available for salaries or expenses for positions 
                within the employing office; and
                    ``(B) if not used by the covered employee before 
                the end of the 12-month period (as referred to in 
                section 102(a)(1) of the Family and Medical Leave Act 
                of 1993 (29 U.S.C. 2612(a)(1))) to which it relates, 
                shall not accumulate for any subsequent use.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by this section shall not 
be effective with respect to any birth or placement occurring before 
the end of the 6-month period beginning on the date of the enactment of 
this Act.

SEC. 4. CONFORMING AMENDMENT TO FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE ACT FOR GAO 
              AND LIBRARY OF CONGRESS EMPLOYEES.

    (a) Amendment to Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993.--Section 
102(d) of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (29 U.S.C. 2612(d)) 
is amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(3) Special rule for gao and library of congress 
        employees.--
                    ``(A) Substitution of paid leave.--An employee of 
                an employer described in section 101(4)(A)(iv) taking 
                leave under subparagraph (A) or (B) of subsection 
                (a)(1) may elect to substitute for any such leave any 
                paid leave which is available to such employee for that 
                purpose.
                    ``(B) Amount of paid leave.--The paid leave that is 
                available to an employee of an employer described in 
                section 101(4)(A)(iv) for purposes of subparagraph (A) 
                is--
                            ``(i) the number of weeks of paid parental 
                        leave in connection with the birth or placement 
                        involved that correspond to the number of 
                        administrative workweeks of paid parental leave 
                        available to Federal employees under section 
                        6382(d)(3)(A) of title 5, United States Code; 
                        and
                            ``(ii) any additional paid vacation or sick 
                        leave provided by such employer.
                    ``(C) Limitation.--Nothing in this paragraph shall 
                be considered to require that an employee first use all 
                or any portion of the leave described in clause (ii) of 
                subparagraph (B) before being allowed to use the paid 
                parental leave described in clause (i) of such 
                subparagraph.
                    ``(D) Additional rules.--Paid parental leave under 
                subparagraph (B)(i)--
                            ``(i) shall be payable from any 
                        appropriation or fund available for salaries or 
                        expenses for positions with the employer 
                        described in section 101(4)(A)(iv); and
                            ``(ii) if not used by the employee of such 
                        employer before the end of the 12-month period 
                        (as referred to in subsection (a)(1)) to which 
                        it relates, shall not accumulate for any 
                        subsequent use.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by this section shall not 
be effective with respect to any birth or placement occurring before 
the end of the 6-month period beginning on the date of the enactment of 
this Act.

            Passed the House of Representatives June 19, 2008.

            Attest:

                                            LORRAINE C. MILLER,

                                                                 Clerk.
```