H.R. 3089 — More Paid Leave for More Americans Act

This section establishes a competitive grant program administered by the Secretary of Labor to award grants to states that have enacted a paid family leave law meeting specified minimum requirements—including providing, through a public-private partnership, at least 6 weeks of paid family leave benefits for the birth of a child or placement for adoption (mirroring reasons in the Family and Medical Leave Act [FMLA, 29 U.S.C. 2612(a)(1)(A)-(B)])—and that participate in the Interstate Paid Leave Action Network. State programs must set a weekly maximum benefit equal to 150% of the state's average weekly wage; provide weekly compensation of at least 67% of an eligible employee's average weekly earnings if at or below the poverty line for a 4-person household, sliding linearly to 50% for earnings double that poverty line or higher; limit entitlement to the 12-month period beginning on the birth or placement date; and include a financing mechanism such as premiums paid by employees, employers, or both. States must allow employers to self-administer equivalent or greater benefits and may provide additional paid leave beyond these minima (e.g., for other FMLA reasons). Grant applications must describe fund uses, state working population, paid leave access rates, and benefit sources; the Secretary prioritizes states using commercial off-the-shelf software for administration, with lower current access rates, sustainable non-federal financing plans, and focus on low-income populations—but may not favor states exceeding minimum benefits. Grants may fund startup costs, benefit payments (for birth or adoption only), the partnership, program design, and purchasing and maintaining related systems.

This section requires each state receiving a grant under section 101 to submit to the Secretary of Labor, and make publicly available, an annual report (beginning one year after grant receipt) on grant fund usage and the number of individuals using paid family leave benefits as a result of the grant program. The section further requires the Secretary to submit annual reports (beginning one year after receiving the first state report) to specified congressional committees on state progress in establishing or modifying paid family leave programs and changes in worker access to such benefits; and requires the Department of Labor Inspector General to conduct annual audits (beginning one year after grant receipt) of grant recipients for compliance with section 101(e) requirements and any waste, fraud, or abuse.

This section establishes definitions for terms used in this title, including (1) average weekly earnings as an individual's annual earnings divided by 52; (2) covered partnership as a partnership between a state and at least one private entity (e.g., an insurance company) to provide paid family leave benefits under a qualifying state program, or a state allowing employers to self-administer such benefits; (3) earnings as compensation countable under the applicable state unemployment compensation law; (4) eligible employee as one employed by the employer for at least 12 months and 1,250 hours of service during the prior 12-month period (using Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 overtime standards); (5) employer as defined in the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993; (6) employ and employee as defined in the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938; (7) State to include any state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; and (8) son or daughter as defined in the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993.

This section (1) decreases the authorization of appropriations for tariff act enforcement actions under section 11334 of the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (16 U.S.C. 1885a) to $10 million (from $20 million); (2) prohibits the use of appropriated funds to equip, operate, or maintain any Department of Defense golf course by striking prior exceptions for facilities outside the United States or at remote and isolated locations inside the United States (10 U.S.C. 2491a); (3) directs the head of each executive agency to terminate any contract or purchase order under Procurement Instrument Identifier GS-03F-047CA, release unexpended balances, and permanently rescind those balances; and (4) authorizes appropriations to carry out this title of $39,787,500 for FY2026, $79,575,000 for FY2027, and $145,887,500 for FY2028.

This section defines terms used in this title, including "(1) 'qualifying reason' as a reason described in subparagraphs (A) through (D) of section 102(a)(1) of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (i.e., birth or placement of a son or daughter; care for a spouse, son, daughter, or parent with a serious health condition; or employee's own serious health condition); (2) 'State paid family and medical leave program' as a program under state law providing at least 6 weeks of paid leave during any 24-month period for each or in aggregate qualifying reason; and (3) 'employer-provided paid family and medical leave plan' as an employer plan (direct, insured, or multiemployer) meeting or exceeding state program requirements."

This section establishes the Interstate Paid Leave Action Network (I-PLAN) comprising a state focal point from each state receiving a conforming grant under section 204(a), to develop and support adoption of an interstate agreement harmonizing state paid family and medical leave programs (i.e., state-provided wage replacement during qualifying family and medical leaves). The I-PLAN must meet at least three times per calendar year; certify state participation to the Secretary of Labor; determine, with the Secretary, internal processes (e.g., order of addressing requirements, consensus-building, withdrawal); and annually develop and update a roadmap with success metrics. The I-PLAN's primary duty is to produce a publicly available interstate agreement—periodically updated for clarity and scope—requiring participating states to adopt: (1) a single policy standard, including uniform definitions for benefit day/week/year, base period, intermittent/reduced schedule leave, place of performance, family members, employee eligibility/coverage, waiting period, and covered wage; (2) a single administrative standard covering employer verification of employee information, notices of program availability, employee leave notices, payroll contribution timing/collection, coordination with other paid time off, continuation of benefits, access/protection of information, recordkeeping, written materials, and (if applicable) a uniform equivalency test for employer plans based on maximum monetary value relative to the state program's value for the state average weekly wage (per BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages data), factoring in benefit duration, wage replacement, absence of caps/waiting periods, and interactions among qualifying reasons; and (3) a single process enabling one participating state to pay benefits to individuals with multi-state work history using combined work records.

This section directs the Secretary of Labor, acting through the Employment and Training Administration, to award a grant to one national intermediary to facilitate activities of the Interstate Paid Leave Action Network (I-PLAN)—a voluntary state network to coordinate interstate paid family and medical leave claims—subject to appropriations under section 205(a). The intermediary must use grant funds for (1) convening state focal points (with public agendas, outcomes, and the I-PLAN roadmap within 12 months of enactment and any updates); (2) producing annual public reports comparing state paid leave programs on eligibility, benefit weeks by reason and aggregate, wage replacement rates, maximum weekly benefits, financing, employer plans, coordination with other leave, qualifying reasons, and I-PLAN success factors; (3) outreach to stakeholders including state legislatures, governors, employees, multi-state and small employers, self-employed individuals, policy experts, and Tribal governments; (4) a standardized, interoperable technology system for wage processing, interstate claims, and program integrity reporting (disaggregated by qualifying reason on claims volume, duration, benefit amounts, payment timing, and accuracy); and (5) additional activities such as staffing, guidance, training, technical assistance, and essential technology. The grant lasts 5 years, subject to annual compliance evaluations that may withhold payments; the Secretary must oversee the intermediary, provide technical assistance, and require regular performance reports.

This section authorizes the Secretary of Labor, acting through the Employment and Training Administration, to make two types of annual grants to eligible states participating in the I-PLAN (i.e., an interstate coordination mechanism for state paid family and medical leave programs), subject to appropriations under section 205. (1) **Conforming grants** are awarded in amounts between $1.5 million and $8 million (adjusted pro rata based on available funds and relative state employment levels from BLS Current Employment Statistics) to states with a designated state focal point that participate in the I-PLAN in good faith (with possible withholding after a six-month warning period and restoration upon compliance). (2) **Implementation grants** are awarded on the same terms to states that also enter into the I-PLAN Agreement but become ineligible after four years without meeting the agreement's requirements. States may use grant funds for specified administrative costs (e.g., customer service, staffing, technology, data sharing, identity validation, program awareness) or to assist small businesses with employer payroll contributions or related technical and operational support for state paid family and medical leave.

This section authorizes appropriations for FY2026 through 2028 as follows: (1) not more than $8,824,106.36 for national intermediary grants under section 203; (2) not more than $35,296,425.43 for conforming grants under section 204(a); and (3) not more than $35,296,425.43 for implementation grants under section 204(b).