Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act

Bill: 116-s-2112
Sponsor: Sen. Harris, Kamala D. [D-CA]
Introduced: 2019-07-15 in the Senate
Policy area: Labor and Employment
Subjects: Advisory bodies
Assault and harassment offenses
Child care and development
Child health
Civil actions and liability
Congressional oversight
Criminal justice information and records
Disability and paralysis
Disability assistance
Domestic violence and child abuse
Emergency communications systems
Employee benefits and pensions
Employee hiring
Employee leave
Employment and training programs
Employment discrimination and employee rights
Food assistance and relief
Foreign labor
Foreign language and bilingual programs
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
Hazardous wastes and toxic substances
Health care costs and insurance
Health care coverage and access
Health information and medical records
Home and outpatient care
Immigration status and procedures
Internet and video services
Internet, web applications, social media
Labor standards
Landlord and tenant
Lawyers and legal services
Medicaid
Medicare
Mental health
Personnel records
Product safety and quality
Right of privacy
Sex offenses
State and local finance
Telephone and wireless communication
Transportation costs
Unemployment
Wages and earnings
Women's health

Summary:
action_date: 2019-07-15
text: 

Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act

 
This bill provides rights and protections for domestic workers, including pay and leave rights, and health and safety protections.
 
The bill, among other things
 
 
repeals the exemption under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 for domestic live-in employees from certain minimum wage and maximum hour requirements;
 
requires written notices of termination and allow other communications for live-in domestic employees;
 
requires written agreements for domestic workers covering wages, sick leave, benefits, and other matters; 
 
allows domestic workers to request and receive changes to work schedules due to personal events; 
 
sets forth certain privacy rights for domestic workers; 
 
expands coverage to domestic workers under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 against discrimination in employment; and 
 
 increases the federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for certain Medicaid-funded medical services provided by domestic workers.
 
 
The Department of Labor shall (1) award grants for a domestic worker national hotline for reporting emergencies, training on hazards facing domestic workers, and workforce investment activities for domestic workers; and (2) establish a Domestic Worker Wage and Standards Board to investigate standards in the domestic workers industry.
 
Labor must provide domestic workers with a document that describes the rights and protections under the domestic workers bill of rights. 
 
The Department of Health and Human Services must collect state Medicaid program data on the personal or home care aide workforce. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2019-07-15
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2019-07-15
text: Introduced in Senate