Sen. Hirono Introduces Time Off to Vote Act to Require Paid Leave for Federal Elections
This bill is currently in the early stages of the legislative process after being sent to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions for review. It is actively moving through the system, but there are no upcoming votes or hearings scheduled at this time.
The bill lacks support from the opposing party and faces a difficult path in a divided Congress where voting laws are a major point of disagreement.
This bill’s path across every version that has carried it.
Scores run from -100 (strongly harmful) to +100 (strongly beneficial) for each group, combining impact, certainty, scope, and duration ratings of 1-5. How impact scoring works
Small businesses with 25 or more employees would be required to provide two hours of paid leave per worker for federal elections. This creates a modest new labor cost and scheduling challenge, especially for businesses that operate on tight margins or have shift-based work. However, the employer retains control over which two-hour window the employee uses, and businesses with fewer than 25 workers are entirely exempt.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Senator Mazie Hirono and 17 colleagues introduced the Time Off to Vote Act, requiring employers to provide at least two hours of paid leave for federal elections. The bill aims to address barriers for the 10% of eligible voters who cite work conflicts as their reason for not voting.
The Time Off to Vote Act would require employers to give employees at least two hours off to vote, either on election day or during early voting. The bill helps normalize regulations for paid time off across the country, ensuring workers don't have to choose between a paycheck and their vote.
No votes recorded for this bill yet.
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Time Off to Vote Act
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