I 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5496 
To extend protections under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 
to part-time workers. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 16, 2016 
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY (for herself, Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York, Ms. 
WILSON of Florida, Ms. LEE, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. 
SCOTT of Virginia, and Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the 
Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on Oversight and Govern-
ment Reform and House Administration, for a period to be subsequently 
determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provi-
sions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To extend protections under the Family and Medical Leave 
Act of 1993 to part-time workers. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Family and Medical Leave Act Protections for Part-time 
Workers Act of 2016’’. 
(b) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
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(1) According to a 2012 survey by Abt Associ-
ates commissioned by the Department of Labor, only 
59 percent of employees are eligible for leave under 
the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (29 
U.S.C. 2601 et seq.). 
(2) The requirement that employees work 1,250 
hours for an employer in the previous year (roughly 
24 hours per week) to be eligible for job-protected 
unpaid leave under the Family and Medical Leave 
Act of 1993 (29 U.S.C. 2601 et seq.) excludes many 
part-time workers from the Act’s protections. 
(3) Low-wage workers are less likely than other 
workers to have access to job-protected leave under 
the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (29 
U.S.C. 2601 et seq.). 
(4) Part-time workers are more than three 
times as likely as full-time workers to hold low-wage 
jobs. 
(5) Low-wage jobs are often characterized by 
high turnover rates and significant variability in 
work hours, both of which make it difficult to meet 
the 1,250 hours requirement under the Family and 
Medical Leave Act of 1993 (29 U.S.C. 2601 et seq.). 
(6) Two-thirds of part-time workers are women. 
Because women still shoulder a disproportionate 
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share of caregiving responsibilities, these workers 
are likely to also have a disproportionate need for 
job-protected, unpaid leave to fulfill these respon-
sibilities. 
(7) Some low-wage workers are working mul-
tiple jobs to make ends meet, but their eligibility for 
leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 
1993 (29 U.S.C. 2601 et seq.) is determined by only 
by their work for a single employer. 
(8) The survey conducted for the Department 
of Labor in 2012 found that reducing the hours of 
service requirement to 780 hours would result in a 
nearly 4-percent increase in the percentage of em-
ployees who are eligible for leave under the Family 
and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (29 U.S.C. 2601 et 
seq.). 
(9) Removing the requirement that employees 
work 1,250 hours in the previous year to qualify for 
coverage under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 
1993 (29 U.S.C. 2601 et seq.) will greatly expand 
access to unpaid leave for the most vulnerable work-
ers. 
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