The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) requires certain employers, including employing offices in the Legislative Branch, to provide covered employees with paid sick leave or expanded family and medical leave for specified reasons related to COVID-19. The Office of Congressional Workplace Rights (OCWR) administers and enforces the new law’s paid leave requirements through the Congressional Accountability Act (CAA). The FFCRA provisions will apply no later than April 2, and they are effective through December 31, 2020.[1]
Generally, the FFCRA provides that employing offices must provide to all covered employees:
- Two weeks (up to 80 hours) of paid sick leave at the employee’s regular rate of pay where the employee is unable to work because the employee is quarantined (pursuant to Federal, State, or local government order or advice of a health care provider), and/or experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and seeking a medical diagnosis; or
- Two weeks (up to 80 hours) of paid sick leave at two-thirds the employee’s regular rate of pay because the employee is unable to work because of a bona fide need to care for an individual subject to quarantine (pursuant to Federal, State, or local government order or advice of a health care provider), or care for a child (under 18 years of age) whose school or child care provider is closed or unavailable for reasons related to COVID-19, and/or the employee is experiencing a substantially-similar condition as specified by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the Secretaries of the Treasury and Labor.[2]
An employing office must provide to covered employees that have been employed by the employing office for at least 30 days:[3] - Up to an additional 10 weeks of paid expanded family and medical leave at 2/3 the employee’s regular rate of pay where an employee is unable to work due to a bona fide need for leave to care for a child whose school or child care provider is closed or unavailable for reasons related to COVID-19.[4]
