Federal workers gain paid leave and transfer rights for abortion access

What it does

This bill protects federal employees' access to reproductive healthcare by prohibiting the federal government from relocating agency headquarters to states with restrictive abortion laws, allowing employees to decline transfers to such states, and providing paid travel and leave for employees who must travel out of state for reproductive services. It also shields employees from security clearance investigations or personnel actions based on their use of abortion services.

Why we flagged it

The bill's core mechanism is expanding workplace rights and protections for federal employees—specifically around reproductive healthcare access, transfer autonomy, and privacy in security clearances. It is not a subsidy, deregulation, or narrow carve-out; it is a straightforward expansion of employee protections.

What the text implies

• The Comptroller General's quarterly-updated list of 'restrictive' states creates a dynamic, moving target for federal agency operations; agencies will face ongoing uncertainty about which states are on the list and when restrictions may change, potentially complicating long-term facility planning.
• The bill's definition of 'significant portion' (5% of employees or 10% of budget) may incentivize agencies to fragment relocations into smaller moves to avoid triggering the restriction, creating inefficiency.
• Privacy protections in security clearances may create tension with existing counterintelligence protocols if investigators believe reproductive-related travel patterns could indicate coercion or foreign leverage; the bill does not address how agencies should handle such concerns.
• The 21-day leave cap for abortion-related travel may be insufficient for employees in states far from accessible care, potentially creating a de facto penalty for those in the most restrictive jurisdictions.
• Regulatory implementation by OPM (travel allowances, security clearance guidelines) within 90 days may be rushed, creating inconsistency across agencies in how benefits are administered.

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

Who it affects

The bill expands rights and protections for federal employees—allowing them to decline forced relocations, providing paid travel for out-of-state care, and shielding them from retaliation or security investigations based on reproductive choices. These are concrete protections that reduce coercion and preserve employee autonomy in states with restrictive laws.

Named in the bill

Federal employees, Executive agencies, Comptroller General of the US, Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Director of OPM, States with restrictive abortion laws, National Security Act of 1947, Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004

Where it stands

35 cosponsors: 35 Democrats.

• Jun 24, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Jun 24, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committee on…”

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

Money around this bill

3 lobbying clients named this bill on 4 disclosure filings across 1 quarter, Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $791,600 in lobbying spend. A filing names 73 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 61% of bills with at least one filing.

James Walkinshaw, the sponsor, reported $964,818 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• Earthjustice Action — $376,600 on 2 filings
• National Treasury Employees Union — $340,000 on 1 filing
• National Women's Law Center Action Fund — $75,000 on 1 filing

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