Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act

Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act

This bill provides employees with up to 12 weeks paid leave for a qualifying purpose during a public-health emergency with respect to the coronavirus (i.e., the virus that causes COVID-19). Specifically, an employee may use such leave if the employee is

• ordered or recommended to self-quarantine by a government official or health care provider,
• caring for a family member who has been ordered or recommended to self-quarantine, or
• caring for the employee's child because the child's school or child-care provider is closed.

Public health emergency leave is not available to employees who work an intermittent or reduced work schedule. An employee may substitute available accrued leave for public health emergency leave, but an employer may not require an employee to make such substitution.