The Healthy Families Act would guarantee every worker get seven paid sick days a year. Workers would earn a minimum of one hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked, with a minimum of 56 hours per year. Sick time could be taken to recover from an employee’s own illnesses, access preventative care, provide care to a sick family member, or attend school meetings related to a child’s health condition or disability. The bill would also allow victims of domestic violence, stalking, or sexual assault to use their paid sick time to recover or seek assistance.
Guarantee every American worker at least seven paid sick days per year through legislation such as the Healthy Families Act.
Occurrences
The Healthy Families Act would: Guarantee every worker in America up to seven paid sick days each year.
Evidence
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Gillibrand said the Healthy Families Act "would guarantee every worker in America up to seven paid sick days each year."
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The Department of Labor states: "Federal law does not require sick leave."
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DOL says Executive Order 13706 requires certain federal contractors to provide employees with "up to seven days of paid sick leave annually" and applies only to covered federal contracts.
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Currently, there are no federal legal requirements for paid sick leave.
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U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand ... introduced legislation to guarantee paid sick leave for workers across the country... The Healthy Families Act would: Guarantee every worker in America up to seven paid sick days each year.
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The press release says Gillibrand introduced the Healthy Families Act, and that the bill would guarantee every worker in America up to seven paid sick days each year. It also says the bill was introduced and referred to committee.
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The Department of Labor states that federal law does not require paid sick leave.
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DOL says Executive Order 13706 gives certain federal contractor employees up to seven days of paid sick leave annually, but only for covered contracts and covered workers.
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including the Protecting Health Care and Lowering Costs Act (S. 2556); the Healthy Families Act (S.3869)
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Last Action Date Listed February 12, 2026
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This bill has the status Introduced
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Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY]* 02/12/2026
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Federal law does not require sick leave.
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Guarantee every worker in America up to seven paid sick days each year
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There is currently no federal law guaranteeing access to paid sick leave
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Currently, there are no federal legal requirements for paid sick leave.
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Mrs. GILLIBRAND, Mr. HEINRICH, Mr. HICKENLOOPER
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read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
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only required to allow employees to accrue paid sick leave for hours worked on or in connection with the four types of covered contracts
Assessments
Gillibrand made a serious legislative effort by introducing and backing the Healthy Families Act, which was framed to guarantee up to seven paid sick days for every American worker. But the bill was introduced and referred to committee rather than enacted, and federal law still does not require paid sick leave nationwide as of May 11, 2026. Existing federal paid-sick-leave protections for some federal contractor employees are limited, not universal, and do not satisfy the promise to guarantee at least seven paid sick days for every American worker through federal legislation.
The promised outcome was a federal legislative guarantee of at least seven paid sick days for every American worker. The evidence shows federal law still does not require paid sick leave, and the Healthy Families Act had not been enacted as of 2026. Gillibrand did materially pursue the promise by introducing legislation that would provide up to seven paid sick days nationwide, so this qualifies for an effort badge. Limited paid sick leave for certain federal contractor employees under Executive Order 13706 is not enough to satisfy a universal guarantee for every American worker.
Not fulfilled. The promised outcome was a nationwide federal guarantee of at least seven paid sick days for every American worker, such as through the Healthy Families Act. The evidence indicates federal law still does not require sick leave, and Gillibrand was still introducing or supporting the Healthy Families Act in 2026 rather than pointing to enactment. The federal contractor paid-sick-leave rule covers only a limited class of workers and does not satisfy the universal promise. Gillibrand did make a serious legislative effort, so the effort badge applies.