Congress expands worker right to take leave in smaller chunks
H.R. 7505 — Flexible Leave Act · Filed by Sarah McBride (D-DE) · 1 cosponsor · Introduced Feb 11, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill amends the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to allow employees to take all qualifying leave on an intermittent (day-by-day or hour-by-hour) or reduced schedule basis, rather than requiring continuous blocks. It also removes employer certification requirements that currently apply to intermittent leave, streamlining the process for workers to use their leave flexibly.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is to expand employee choice in how and when to use earned FMLA leave and reduce employer administrative discretion over intermittent leave requests. It is a straightforward labor-standards amendment.
What the text implies
- Removal of certification requirements may increase administrative burden on employers to track and verify intermittent leave usage in real time, potentially driving adoption of leave-management software.
- Expanded intermittent leave availability could increase leave-taking rates overall, affecting workforce continuity planning and temporary staffing demand.
The full analysis lists 3 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
leave-management software vendors; temporary staffing agencies