Congress expands family leave to domestic partners, grandparents, and chosen family.

What it does

This bill expands the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to cover care for domestic partners, in-laws, grandparents, grandchildren, siblings, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and anyone with a 'close association equivalent to a family relationship'—not just spouses, children, and parents. It also creates 24 hours per year (4 hours per 30 days) of new paid leave for employees to attend their children's or grandchildren's school activities and medical appointments, or care for elderly relatives. The bill applies to both private-sector and federal employees.

Why we flagged it

The bill's core mechanism is straightforward: it amends FMLA and federal leave law to broaden the definition of family members eligible for leave and adds a new category of paid leave for parental involvement and family wellness. No hidden mechanisms or riders.

What the text implies

• The 'close association equivalent to a family relationship' language is intentionally broad and undefined, delegating to employers and courts to determine eligibility on a case-by-case basis—this may create litigation risk and inconsistent application across employers.
• Domestic partner definition allows self-designation without state recognition, which may create administrative burden on employers to verify and track non-traditional family structures.
• The 24-hour parental involvement leave is unpaid unless the employee substitutes accrued paid leave, limiting its practical value for lower-wage workers with minimal paid leave balances.
• Federal employees gain the same rights as private-sector workers, but the bill does not appropriate funds or specify how agencies will absorb the leave costs—implementation may depend on agency budgets.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

Ordinary workers gain concrete new rights: unpaid leave to care for a wider circle of family members and 24 hours of paid leave annually for school involvement and routine family care. These are direct protections for working families balancing employment and caregiving.

Named in the bill

Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, Title 5, United States Code, Federal employees, Private-sector employers, Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, Head Start Act

Where it stands

47 cosponsors: 47 Democrats.

• Feb 5, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Feb 5, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on House Administration and House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on Oversight and…”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

1 lobbying clients named this bill on 2 disclosure filings across 2 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $20,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 105 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 0% of bills with at least one filing.

Jahana Hayes, the sponsor, reported $630,811 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• National Council of Jewish Women — $20,000 on 2 filings

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.