Honoring Family-Friendly Workplaces Act

II 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 1402 To direct the Secretary of Labor to recognize employers with a commitment to helping employees balance workplace responsibilities and family obligations. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MAY 9, 2019 Ms. DUCKWORTH (for herself and Mrs. GILLIBRAND) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Edu- cation, Labor, and Pensions A BILL To direct the Secretary of Labor to recognize employers with a commitment to helping employees balance work- place responsibilities and family obligations. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Honoring Family- 4 Friendly Workplaces Act’’. 5 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 6 In this Act: 7 (1) EMPLOYEE; EMPLOYER.—The terms ‘‘em- 8 ployee’’ and ‘‘employer’’ have the meanings given 9 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:19 May 17, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1402.IS S1402 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 2 •S 1402 IS such terms in section 3 of the Fair Labor Standards 1 Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 203). 2 (2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 3 the Secretary of Labor. 4 SEC. 3. CERTIFICATION PROGRAM ESTABLISHED. 5 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish a 6 national certification program to award certifications to 7 recognize employers that have a commitment to helping 8 employees balance employment responsibilities and family 9 obligations (referred to in this section as ‘‘family-friendly 10 certifications’’). 11 (b) CRITERIA FOR CERTIFICATION.—In order to be 12 eligible to receive a family-friendly certification, an em- 13 ployer must carry out each of the following family-friendly 14 employment policies and benefits: 15 (1) Assistance paying for, or referring employ- 16 ees to, fertility or adoption services. 17 (2) Paid family leave of not less than 12 weeks 18 per year, including the option to use leave for any 19 of the following reasons: 20 (A) The birth of a son or daughter of the 21 employee and in order to care for such son or 22 daughter. 23 (B) The placement of a son or daughter 24 with the employee for adoption or foster care. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:19 May 17, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1402.IS S1402 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 3 •S 1402 IS (C) To address the employee’s own serious 1 health condition, including pregnancy or child- 2 birth. 3 (D) To address the serious health condi- 4 tion (as defined in section 101 of the Family 5 and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (29 U.S.C. 6 2611)) of a family member. 7 (E) For specific military caregiving and 8 leave. 9 (3) Paid sick days for employees that are sepa- 10 rate from time accrued as part of a paid time off 11 policy. 12 (4) A subsidy for child care or policies that 13 allow parents to work alongside their infants in safe 14 settings. 15 (5) Policies that allow for flexible hours once a 16 parent returns to work after a birth, adoption, or 17 foster care placement. 18 (6) If feasible, policies that allow employees to 19 work remotely as needed for reasons related to the 20 care of a child. 21 (7) Lactation support, such as reimbursement 22 of expressed breastmilk delivery while on travel, ac- 23 cess to pumps, kits, and other lactation supplies and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:19 May 17, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1402.IS S1402 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 4 •S 1402 IS amenities, and access to lactation consultants and 1 support. 2 (c) APPLICATION.—An employer who desires to re- 3 ceive a family-friendly certification from the Secretary 4 under this section shall submit an application to the Sec- 5 retary at such time, containing such information, and in 6 such manner as the Secretary may require. 7 (d) AWARD OF CERTIFICATION.—The Secretary shall 8 review applications submitted under subparagraph (c) and 9 award a family-friendly certification to an employer whose 10 application demonstrates that the employer has met the 11 requirements established under subsection (b) regarding 12 family-friendly policies and benefits. 13 (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 14 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act 15 such sums as may be necessary. 16 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:19 May 17, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\S1402.IS S1402 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS