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H.R. 8207119th CongressIn committeeLatest action Apr 6, 2026Decoded by AI · checked against the record
The plain-language version leads. The official text is always the reference.
HR 8207 would let employees take unpaid, job-protected leave after a child of any age dies.
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This bill adds the death of a son or daughter to the list of reasons an employee can take job-protected unpaid leave under federal law. The leave must be used within 12 months of the child's death and is generally taken all at once, though an employee and employer can agree to a different schedule. Employees may choose to use accrued paid leave, such as vacation or sick time, in place of the unpaid leave.
This applies to private-sector employees already covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act and to federal government workers. Employers may ask for documentation to support the leave request.
Without this bill, federal law does not specifically guarantee leave when a child dies, even though it covers leave for a child's serious illness. Adding this protection means employees in these covered groups would have a clear legal right to take that time without risking their job.
AI-drafted summary. Verify it against the official text before you act on it. Read the official bill on Congress.gov
Right now: a House committee is reviewing it. If the Senate changes it, it goes back to the House before reaching the President.
Latest action: — Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on Oversight and Government Reform, and House Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.