women in the workplace and in the home continues 
a cycle of discrimination and fosters stereotypical 
views about women’s commitment to work and their 
value as employees. 
(14) Employment standards that apply to only 
one gender have serious potential for encouraging 
employers to discriminate against employees and ap-
plicants for employment who are of that gender. 
(15) It is in the national interest to ensure that 
all Americans can care for their own health and the 
health of their families while prospering at work. 
SEC. 3. PURPOSES. 
The purposes of this Act are— 
(1) to ensure that all working Americans can 
address their own health needs and the health needs 
of their families by requiring employers to provide a 
minimum level of paid sick leave including leave for 
family care; 
(2) to diminish public and private health care 
costs by enabling workers to seek early and routine 
medical care for themselves and their family mem-
bers; 
(3) to accomplish the purposes described in 
paragraphs (1) and (2) in a manner that is feasible 
for employers; and 
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(4) consistent with the provision of the 14th 
amendment to the Constitution relating to equal 
protection of the laws, and pursuant to Congress’ 
power to enforce that provision under section 5 of 
that amendment— 
(A) to accomplish the purposes described 
in paragraphs (1) and (2) in a manner that 
minimizes the potential for employment dis-
crimination on the basis of sex by ensuring gen-
erally that leave is available for eligible medical 
reasons on a gender-neutral basis; and 
(B) to promote the goal of equal employ-
ment opportunity for women and men. 
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) CHILD.—The term ‘‘child’’ means a biologi-
cal, foster, or adopted child, a stepchild, a legal 
ward, or a child of a person standing in loco 
parentis, who is— 
(A) under 18 years of age; or 
(B) 18 years of age or older and incapable 
of self-care because of a mental or physical dis-
ability. 
(2) EMPLOYEE.—The term ‘‘employee’’ means 
an individual— 
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(A) who is— 
(i)(I) an employee, as defined in sec-
tion 3(e) of the Fair Labor Standards Act 
of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 203(e)), who is not 
covered under clause (v), including such an 
employee of the Library of Congress, ex-
cept that a reference in such section to an 
employer shall be considered to be a ref-
erence to an employer described in clauses 
(i)(I) and (ii) of paragraph (3)(A); or 
(II) an employee of the Government 
Accountability Office; 
(ii) a State employee described in sec-
tion 304(a) of the Government Employee 
Rights Act of 1991 (42 U.S.C. 2000e– 
16c(a)); 
(iii) a covered employee, as defined in 
section 101 of the Congressional Account-
ability Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1301), other 
than an applicant for employment; 
(iv) a covered employee, as defined in 
section 411(c) of title 3, United States 
Code; or 
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(v) a Federal officer or employee cov-
ered under subchapter V of chapter 63 of 
title 5, United States Code; and 
(B) who works an average of at least 20 
hours per week or, in the alternative, at least 
1,000 hours per year. 
(3) EMPLOYER.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘employer’’ 
means a person who is— 
(i)(I) a covered employer, as defined 
in subparagraph (B), who is not covered 
under subclause (V); 
(II) an entity employing a State em-
ployee described in section 304(a) of the 
Government Employee Rights Act of 1991; 
(III) an employing office, as defined 
in section 101 of the Congressional Ac-
countability Act of 1995; 
(IV) an employing office, as defined in 
section 411(c) of title 3, United States 
Code; or 
(V) an employing agency covered 
under subchapter V of chapter 63 of title 
5, United States Code; and 
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(ii) is engaged in commerce (including 
government), in the production of goods 
for commerce, or in an enterprise engaged 
in commerce (including government) or in 
the production of goods for commerce. 
(B) COVERED EMPLOYER.— 
(i) IN
GENERAL.—In subparagraph 
(A)(i)(I), the term ‘‘covered employer’’— 
(I) means any person engaged in 
commerce or in any industry or activ-
ity affecting commerce who employs 
15 or more employees for each work-
ing day during each of 20 or more 
calendar workweeks in the current or 
preceding calendar year; 
(II) includes— 
(aa) any person who acts, 
directly or indirectly, in the inter-
est of an employer to any of the 
employees of such employer; and 
(bb) any successor in inter-
est of an employer; 
(III) includes any ‘‘public agen-
cy’’, as defined in section 3(x) of the 
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Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 
(29 U.S.C. 203(x)); and 
(IV) includes the Government 
Accountability Office and the Library 
of Congress. 
(ii) PUBLIC
AGENCY.—For purposes 
of clause (i)(III), a public agency shall be 
considered to be a person engaged in com-
merce or in an industry or activity affect-
ing commerce. 
(iii) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of 
this subparagraph: 
(I) 
COMMERCE.—The 
terms 
‘‘commerce’’ and ‘‘industry or activity 
affecting commerce’’ mean any activ-
ity, business, or industry in commerce 
or in which a labor dispute would 
hinder or obstruct commerce or the 
free flow of commerce, and include 
‘‘commerce’’ and any ‘‘industry affect-
ing commerce’’, as defined in para-
graphs (1) and (3) of section 501 of 
the Labor Management Relations Act, 
1947 (29 U.S.C. 142 (1) and (3)). 
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(II) EMPLOYEE.—The term ‘‘em-
ployee’’ has the same meaning given 
such term in section 3(e) of the Fair 
Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 
U.S.C. 203(e)). 
(III) PERSON.—The term ‘‘per-
son’’ has the same meaning given 
such term in section 3(a) of the Fair 
Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 
U.S.C. 203(a)). 
(C) PREDECESSORS.—Any reference in 
this paragraph to an employer shall include a 
reference to any predecessor of such employer. 
(4) EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS.—The term ‘‘em-
ployment benefits’’ means all benefits provided or 
made available to employees by an employer, includ-
ing group life insurance, health insurance, disability 
insurance, sick leave, annual leave, educational bene-
fits, and pensions, regardless of whether such bene-
fits are provided by a practice or written policy of 
an employer or through an ‘‘employee benefit plan’’, 
as defined in section 3(3) of the Employee Retire-
ment Income Security Act of 1974 (29 U.S.C. 
1002(3)). 
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(5) HEALTH
CARE
PROVIDER.—The term 
‘‘health care provider’’ means a provider who— 
(A)(i) is a doctor of medicine or osteopathy 
who is authorized to practice medicine or sur-
gery (as appropriate) by the State in which the 
doctor practices; or 
(ii) is any other person determined by the 
Secretary to be capable of providing health care 
services; and 
(B) is not employed by an employer for 
whom the provider issues certification under 
this Act. 
(6) PARENT.—The term ‘‘parent’’ means a bio-
logical, foster, or adoptive parent of an employee, a 
stepparent of an employee, or a legal guardian or 
other person who stood in loco parentis to an em-
ployee when the employee was a child. 
(7) PRO RATA.—The term ‘‘pro rata’’, with re-
spect to benefits offered to part-time employees, 
means the proportion of each of the benefits offered 
to full-time employees that are offered to part-time 
employees that, for each benefit, is equal to the ratio 
of part-time hours worked to full-time hours worked. 
(8) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Labor. 
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