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H.R. 4763: Protected Time Off Act

This bill, known as the "Protected Time Off Act," aims to establish requirements for employers to provide paid annual leave to their employees. Here’s a summary of its key provisions:

1. Definitions

The bill includes definitions of several terms:- **Covered Employee**: Refers to individuals working for employers, including government employees and certain federal employees.- **Employer**: Defined as any person or entity engaged in commerce that employs one or more employees.

2. Paid Annual Leave

Employers must provide:- A minimum of **one hour of paid annual leave for every 25 hours worked**.- A maximum limit of **80 hours of paid leave per year** for employees, although employers can choose to provide more.- Employees can start earning this leave from their first day of employment.

3. Usage of Leave

Employees are allowed to use their paid leave for any reason, and:- They are entitled to compensation equivalent to their regular earnings while on leave.- They can use their leave in hourly increments or the smallest time unit used by the employer's payroll system.- Employees can carry over up to **40 hours of unused leave** to the next year, but must also notify the employer about their need for leave.

4. Employer Responsibilities

Employers are required to:- Notify employees about the leave policy at the start of their employment, through employee handbooks, and by posting information conspicuously.- Provide a system to track how much paid leave each employee has accrued.

5. Employee Rights

The bill prohibits employers from:- Discriminating against employees who use their paid leave or retaliating against them.- Requiring employees to find replacements for their duties when taking leave.

6. Enforcement and Remedies

The Secretary of Labor is authorized to:- Investigate complaints about violations of this act, similar to the procedures under the Fair Labor Standards Act.- Employees are allowed to bring lawsuits against employers for violations, seeking back pay and damages.

7. Effect on Other Laws

The act does not override any state or local laws that provide more generous leave provisions. Employers must still comply with existing contracts or collective agreements that offer better rights than those outlined in this bill.

8. Public Awareness Campaign

A public awareness campaign must be initiated by the Secretary of Labor within a year of the bill being enacted to inform employees of their rights under this act.

9. Effective Date

The provisions of this act would go into effect 180 days after it is enacted, with specific conditions for existing collective bargaining agreements.

Relevant Companies

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This is an AI-generated summary of the bill text. There may be mistakes.

Actions

2 actions

Date	Action
Jul. 25, 2025	Introduced in House
Jul. 25, 2025	Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on House Administration, Oversight and Government Reform, the Judiciary, and Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Corporate Lobbying

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