SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Federal Employees 
Paid Parental Leave Act of 2009’’. 
SEC. 2. PAID PARENTAL LEAVE UNDER TITLE 5. 
(a) AMENDMENT TO TITLE 5.—Subsection (d) of sec-
tion 6382 of title 5, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) by redesignating such subsection as sub-
section (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 sub-
section (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 sub-
paragraph in connection with the birth or placement 
involved; and 
‘‘(B) any annual or sick leave accrued or accu-
mulated 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 de-
scribed 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 va-
cation 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 Manage-
ment— 
‘‘(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 re-
tention 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 of-
fering paid parental leave; 
‘‘(iv) the Federal Government’s role as a 
model employer; 
‘‘(v) the impact of increased paid parental 
leave on lower-income and economically dis-
advantaged employees and their children; and 
‘‘(vi) 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 de-
scribed 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 pe-
riod beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act.
SEC. 3. PAID PARENTAL LEAVE FOR CONGRESSIONAL EM-
PLOYEES. 
(a) AMENDMENT
TO CONGRESSIONAL ACCOUNT-
ABILITY ACT.—Section 202 of the Congressional Account-
ability 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 fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(d) SPECIAL RULE FOR PAID PARENTAL LEAVE 
FOR CONGRESSIONAL EMPLOYEES.— 
‘‘(1) SUBSTITUTION OF PAID LEAVE.—A cov-
ered employee taking leave without pay under sub-
paragraph (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 em-
ployee 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 ad-
ministrative 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 sub-
paragraph (B) of paragraph (2) before being allowed 
to use the paid parental leave described in subpara-
graph (A) of paragraph (2). 
‘‘(4) ADDITIONAL RULES.—Paid parental leave 
under paragraph (2)(A)— 
‘‘(A) shall be payable from any appropria-
tion 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 re-
ferred 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 accu-
mulate 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 pe-
riod beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 4. CONFORMING AMENDMENT TO FAMILY AND MED-
ICAL 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 em-
ployer described in section 101(4)(A)(iv) for 
purposes of subparagraph (A) is— 
‘‘(i) the number of weeks of paid pa-
rental 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 para-
graph 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 paren-
tal leave described in clause (i) of such subpara-
graph. 
‘‘(D) ADDITIONAL RULES.—Paid parental 
leave under subparagraph (B)(i)— 
‘‘(i) shall be payable from any appro-
priation or fund available for salaries or 
expenses for positions with the employer 
described in section 101(4)(A)(iv); and
or Reserves to take leave under subparagraph (A) or (B) 
of section 102(a)(1) of the Family and Medical Leave Act 
of 1993 (pursuant to section 202(a)(1) of the Congres-
sional Accountability Act), or to substitute such leave pur-
suant to subsection (d) of section 202 of such Act (as 
added by section 3), any service by such employee on ac-
tive duty (as defined in section 101(14) of the Family and 
Medical Leave Act of 1993) shall be counted as time dur-
ing which such employee has been employed in an employ-
ing office for purposes of section 202(a)(2)(B) of the Con-
gressional Accountability Act. 
(c) GAO AND LIBRARY
OF CONGRESS EMPLOY-
EES.—For purposes of determining the eligibility of an 
employee of the Government Accountability Office or Li-
brary of Congress who is a member of the National Guard 
or Reserves to take leave under subparagraph (A) or (B) 
of section 102(a)(1) of the Family and Medical Leave Act 
of 1993, or to substitute such leave pursuant to paragraph 
(3) of section 102(d) of such Act (as added by section 
4), any service by such employee on active duty (as defined 
in section 101(14) of such Act) shall be counted as time
during which such employee has been employed for pur-
poses of section 101(2)(A) of such Act. 
Passed the House of Representatives June 4, 2009. 
Attest: 
Clerk.
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 626 
AN ACT 
To provide that 4 of the 12 weeks of parental leave 
made available to a Federal employee shall be 
paid leave, and for other purposes.