Bill Overview
Title: Life Saving Leave Act
Description: This bill expands employee medical leave to provide additional time for bone marrow or blood stem cell donations. Specifically, the bill expands leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) to provide up to 40 hours of leave every 12 months for related predonation, donation, and postdonation activities. Under the bill, leave may be taken intermittently or on a reduced leave schedule. An employee has the option to substitute accrued paid vacation, personal, or sick leave for the unpaid FMLA time. The bill requires an employee to make a reasonable effort to schedule treatments for when the treatment would not unduly disrupt the employer's activities. Eligible employees may use this leave regardless of the employee's length of employment or the size of the employer.
Sponsors: Rep. Phillips, Dean [D-MN-3]
Target Audience
Population: People worldwide who are employed in environments with medical leave similar to FMLA
Estimated Size: 98000000
- The bill impacts employees who are eligible under the Family and Medical Leave Act, which includes public agency employees, local education agency employees, and employees at private-sector companies with 50 or more employees in 20 or more work weeks in the current or preceding calendar year.
- There are approximately 164 million people in the US workforce, and about 60% of employees work in settings with the capability to provide FMLA leave, which narrows the pool to about 98 million.
- Worldwide, the concept of similar employee leave varies greatly, but if considering a similar percentage globally (where approximately 3.5 billion are employed), an estimated 2.1 billion might have a similar capability to benefit from such legislation.
- Not all employees will be affected as only those interested in bone marrow or stem cell donation may utilize the full potential of this bill.
- Bone marrow and stem cell donations are relatively rare acts; in the US, there are approximately 18,000-20,000 new potential recipients/registrations for donations each year from unrelated donors, suggesting a smaller active portion of the eligible population will utilize this leave.
Reasoning
- The policy targets employees at companies covered by FMLA, specifically those who might consider bone marrow or stem cell donation. A small percentage of the 98 million FMLA-eligible workers will participate.
- Bone marrow donation is rare but growing due to increased awareness and medical need. The policy might encourage donors to step forward by reducing job stress associated with donation time.
- Budgets limit how extensively these benefits can be applied yearly, suggesting prioritization for actual donors, which could be thousands rather than millions.
- The wellbeing impact largely hinges on the peace of mind and reduced work stress for donors, while potentially influencing organizational health policies to support altruistic acts.
Simulated Interviews
Software Engineer (Houston, TX)
Age: 32 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 10/20
Statement of Opinion:
- The policy seems promising for individuals like me who are inclined towards donation activities.
- Having a guaranteed leave for donations would ease the burden on decision-making during both personal and work-related situations.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 6 |
Healthcare Administrator (Chicago, IL)
Age: 45 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 15/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I worry about leaving my team short-staffed, but this policy would help manage both my personal choices and responsibilities.
- Providing leave specific to donations shows institutional support for healthcare improvements and personal welfare.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 5 |
Finance Analyst (Boston, MA)
Age: 29 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 3.0 years
Commonness: 12/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I'm not very familiar with bone marrow donations, but having options to contribute without risking employment status is a good step.
- This policy adds value to workplace benefits, even if I may not use it immediately.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 5 |
Elementary School Teacher (Los Angeles, CA)
Age: 38 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 7.0 years
Commonness: 14/20
Statement of Opinion:
- As a teacher, it can be challenging to take time off for important personal health endeavors without impacting my students.
- This policy ensures that those who want to donate have a safety net to do what's right for the greater community without professional repercussions.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 6 |
Manufacturing Supervisor (Phoenix, AZ)
Age: 52 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 8.0 years
Commonness: 11/20
Statement of Opinion:
- My role is crucial, and having a covered leave would relieve worries about job security when considering being a donor.
- It's great to see such efforts to encourage lifesaving acts, reflecting positive corporate-social alignment.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 5 |
Retail Manager (Seattle, WA)
Age: 27 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 13/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Knowing I'll have the option to safely follow through with a donation would improve my outlook towards such opportunities.
- Donations are very personal, and this policy respects the need for personal health pursuits.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 5 |
HR Specialist (New York, NY)
Age: 40 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 9.0 years
Commonness: 16/20
Statement of Opinion:
- FMLA's expansion to cover donations is strategic and altruistic, a step towards holistic employee welfare.
- Implementing such policies could improve workplace culture and enhance our social responsibility profile.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 7 |
Construction Foreman (Miami, FL)
Age: 55 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 9/20
Statement of Opinion:
- The policy makes sense, but I doubt our management would support it wholeheartedly unless legally mandated.
- Knowing formal structures are in place would ease my concerns, but practical implementation needs attention.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 5 |
Marketing Coordinator (San Francisco, CA)
Age: 23 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 8
Duration of Impact: 7.0 years
Commonness: 17/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Policies like this show a company's genuine interest in supporting individual causes that matter to employees.
- I feel empowered seeing organizations willing to adapt for the betterment of public health and employee wellbeing.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 3 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 7 |
Retired, former Public Agency Manager (Denver, CO)
Age: 63 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 9
Duration of Impact: 0.0 years
Commonness: 8/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This policy would have been reassuring during my active working years, enabling health over economic concerns.
- It seems like a forward-thinking step that could handle modern healthcare needs in the workforce.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 9 | 9 |
| Year 2 | 9 | 9 |
| Year 3 | 9 | 9 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 9 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 7 |
Cost Estimates
Year 1: $35000000 (Low: $25000000, High: $45000000)
Year 2: $36000000 (Low: $26000000, High: $46000000)
Year 3: $37000000 (Low: $27000000, High: $47000000)
Year 5: $39000000 (Low: $29000000, High: $49000000)
Year 10: $42000000 (Low: $32000000, High: $52000000)
Year 100: $60000000 (Low: $50000000, High: $70000000)
Key Considerations
- The bill primarily affects employment law and employee rights, with limited direct economic impact.
- The potential key benefits are improved health outcomes for bone marrow and stem cell transplant recipients, which are harder to quantify economically but significant socially.
- Employee productivity may see negligible disruption due to the small percentage likely to utilize the new leave policy.