The United States is one of the only wealthy countries without a national paid family leave law. That means many parents go back to work days after a birth, and many workers choose between a paycheck and caring for a sick loved one. Several bills in Congress are trying to change that. The largest is the FAMILY Act.
What the FAMILY Act would do
The FAMILY Act, reintroduced in the 119th Congress as S.2823 in the Senate and H.R.5390 in the House, would let most working people take up to 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave. Workers could use that leave to care for a new child, to care for a loved one with a serious health condition, or to recover from their own serious illness. The latest version also covers military families dealing with a service member's deployment, and survivors of domestic violence, stalking, and sexual assault who need time to seek safety and services.
How it would be paid for
Rather than putting the full cost on employers, the FAMILY Act would create a national insurance fund supported by small contributions shared between workers and employers. Benefits would replace a portion of a worker's wages during leave, with higher replacement rates for lower-paid workers. The design borrows from state programs that already work this way.
Other leave bills to watch
The FAMILY Act is not the only approach. The Paid Family and Medical Leave Tax Credit Extension and Enhancement Act (S.400) would make permanent a federal tax credit that rewards employers who offer paid leave. The More Paid Leave for More Americans Act (H.R.3089) would send grants to states to build or expand their own programs. These reflect different ideas about whether paid leave should run through a national fund, through employers, or through the states.
What is already in place
While Congress debates, a growing number of states have acted on their own. As of 2026, more than a dozen states run paid family and medical leave programs that are paying benefits, and a couple more are getting ready to launch. If you live in one of these states, you may already qualify for paid leave through your state program, separate from anything Congress does. Your state labor or workforce agency can tell you what is available.