I 
113TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5849 
To provide employees with 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours 
worked. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 11, 2014 
Mr. GRAYSON introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Commit-
tees on Oversight and Government Reform, House Administration, and 
the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 
in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the juris-
diction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To provide employees with 1 hour of paid sick leave for 
every 30 hours worked. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Paid Sick Leave Act’’. 
SEC. 2. REQUIREMENT FOR PAID SICK LEAVE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—An employer shall permit each 
employee employed by the employer to earn not less than 
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1 hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, to 
be used as described in subsection (b). 
(b) USES.—Paid sick leave earned under this section 
may be used by an employee for any of the following: 
(1) An absence resulting from a physical or 
mental illness, injury, or medical condition of the 
employee. 
(2) An absence resulting from obtaining profes-
sional medical diagnosis or care, or preventive med-
ical care, for the employee. 
(3) An absence for the purpose of caring for a 
child, a parent, a spouse, or any other individual re-
lated by blood or affinity whose close association 
with the employee is the equivalent of a family rela-
tionship, who— 
(A) has any of the conditions or needs for 
diagnosis or care described in paragraph (1) or 
(2); and 
(B) in the case of someone who is not a 
child, is otherwise in need of care. 
(4) An absence resulting from domestic vio-
lence, sexual assault, or stalking, if the time is to— 
(A) seek medical attention for the em-
ployee or the employee’s child, parent, or 
spouse, or an individual related to the employee 
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as described in paragraph (3), to recover from 
physical or psychological injury or disability 
caused by domestic violence, sexual assault, or 
stalking; 
(B) obtain or assist a related person de-
scribed in paragraph (3) in obtaining services 
from a victim services organization; 
(C) obtain or assist a related person de-
scribed in paragraph (3) in obtaining psycho-
logical or other counseling; 
(D) seek relocation; or 
(E) take legal action, including preparing 
for or participating in any civil or criminal legal 
proceeding related to or resulting from domestic 
violence, sexual assault, or stalking. 
(c) 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. 
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(2) DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.—The term ‘‘domestic 
violence’’ has the meaning given the term in section 
40002(a) of the Violence Against Women Act of 
1994 (42 U.S.C. 13925(a)), except that the ref-
erence in such section to the term ‘‘jurisdiction re-
ceiving grant monies’’ shall be deemed to mean the 
jurisdiction in which the victim lives or the jurisdic-
tion in which the employer involved is located. 
(3) EMPLOYEE.—The term ‘‘employee’’ means 
an individual who is— 
(A)(i) an employee, as defined in section 
3(e) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 
(29 U.S.C. 203(e)), who is not covered under 
subparagraph (E), including such an employee 
of the Library of Congress, except that a ref-
erence in such section to an employer shall be 
considered to be a reference to an employer de-
scribed in clauses (i)(I) and (ii) of paragraph 
(4)(A); or 
(ii) an employee of the Government Ac-
countability Office; 
(B) a State employee described in section 
304(a) of the Government Employee Rights Act of 
1991 (42 U.S.C. 2000e–16c(a)); 
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(C) a covered employee, as defined in section 
101 of the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 
(2 U.S.C. 1301), other than an applicant for em-
ployment; 
(D) a covered employee, as defined in section 
411(c) of title 3, United States Code; or 
(E) a Federal officer or employee covered under 
subchapter V of chapter 63 of title 5, United States 
Code. 
(4) 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 
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(V) an employing agency covered 
under subchapter V of chapter 63 of title 
5, United States Code; and 
(ii) is engaged in commerce (including 
government), or an industry or activity af-
fecting commerce (including government), 
as defined in subparagraph (B)(iii). 
(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; 
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(III) includes any ‘‘public agen-
cy’’, as defined in section 3(x) of the 
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 
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the Labor Management Relations Act, 
1947 (29 U.S.C. 142 (1) and (3)). 
(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. 
(5) 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. 
(6) SEXUAL ASSAULT.—The term ‘‘sexual as-
sault’’ has the meaning given the term in section 
40002(a) of the Violence Against Women Act of 
1994 (42 U.S.C. 13925(a)). 
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(7) SPOUSE.—The term ‘‘spouse’’, with respect 
to an employee, has the meaning given such term by 
the marriage laws of the State in which the em-
ployee resides. 
(8) STALKING.—The term ‘‘stalking’’ has the 
meaning given the term in section 40002(a) of the 
Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (42 U.S.C. 
13925(a)). 
Æ 
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