Congress·In Committee·S. 2549

Time Off to Vote Act

Sen. Hirono Introduces Time Off to Vote Act to Require Paid Leave for Federal Elections

8 months ago·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

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.

Passage Likelihood

25%Unlikely

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.

·No Republican cosponsors
·Partisan divide on voting laws
·Mandate on private businesses
·Referred to committee

Legislative Progress

Senate

House

President

Law

Key Points

This bill would require employers with 25 or more workers to give employees at least two consecutive hours of paid time off during federal elections. Workers could use this time to vote in person, return a mail-in ballot, or handle other voting-related tasks.
From policy text
“an employer shall provide to the employee a minimum of 2 consecutive hours of paid leave on a day of any Federal election, while polls or sites that facilitate voting-related activity are open, in order to vote, return in person a ballot that was received in the mail, or perform other voting-related activity.”
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Employers get to pick which two hours the employee takes off, and can require the time be used during early voting instead of on Election Day. Regular lunch breaks or other rest periods cannot count toward the two hours.
From policy text
“the employer of such employee may specify the hours during which the employee may take such leave, including by requiring that the employee take the leave during a period designated for early voting instead of on the day of the election, as applicable under State law. Any lunch break or other break period may not be included in the 2-hour period designated for leave”
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Workers are protected from retaliation. Employers cannot fire, punish, or discriminate against employees for taking voting leave or for reporting violations of this law.
From policy text
“It shall be unlawful for any employer to interfere with, restrain, or deny the exercise of or the attempt to exercise, the right to take leave under this Act, or to discriminate against an employee in any manner for taking leave under this Act.”
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Companies that violate the law could face fines of up to $10,000 per violation, enforced by the Department of Labor. The penalty amount would take into account factors like business size and the seriousness of the violation.
From policy text
“Any employer that violates this Act may be subject to a civil penalty not to exceed $10,000 per violation.”
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The bill sets a national floor but does not override state or local laws that already provide more generous voting leave. It would apply starting with the first federal election after enactment.
From policy text
“Nothing in this Act shall be construed to supersede any provision of any State or local law that requires an employer to provide leave to an employee, for the purpose of voting in any Federal, State, or municipal election, in an amount greater than that required under this Act”
View in full text

Labor EmploymentCivil Rights

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

Who is affectedScoreImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Jul 30, 2025Senate

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.

Jul 30, 2025

Introduced in Senate

The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.

Related News

2 articles

Hawaii Filipino Chronicle·8 months ago

Hirono Leads Colleagues in Introducing Legislation to Give Workers Time Off to Vote

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.

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Truthout·almost 4 years ago

Democrats Introduce Bill Guaranteeing Workers Paid Time Off to Vote

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.

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