On April 30, 2025, Congressional Representatives Stephanie Bice (R-Oklahoma) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pennsylvania) introduced the More Paid Leave for More Americans Act in the House of Representatives.
The bill would develop a three-year pilot program administered by the federal Department of Labor (DOL) that would provide grant funding to states that establish paid family leave programs in partnership with private companies. To qualify for fundings, states would need to implement a program that:
- Provides all workers in the state with at least 6 weeks of paid leave for the birth or adoption of a child, and potentially other reasons for leave covered under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA);
- Provides all workers in the state with wage replacement benefits between 50% and 67% of a worker’s income while on leave, with a maximum benefit amount equal to 150% of the state’s average weekly wage;
- Utilizes a public-private partnership model, similar to a workers’ compensation insurance system where insurance premiums, paid by both employers and employees, fund the program and are administered by a third-party insurance company, AND
- Participation in a newly developed Interstate Paid Leave Action Network.
The bill would also develop an “Interstate Paid Leave Action Network,” a national interstate framework to help states coordinate and streamline benefit payments, create harmonization between state leave programs, share data, and reduce confusion for workers who work in a different state than where they live. The proposal also claims the network would identify best practices from existing state paid leave programs, resolve conflicts with other states’ programs, and help employees access their benefits. As of May 2025, approximately thirteen states have implemented state paid family and medical leave insurance systems, including California, Colorado, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon, and Washington.
The bill has not yet been taken up by either the House or Senate labor committee for review, which is the first step required for the bill to become a law.
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