,i  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #bcej  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,june #ac1 #bjac ,mr4
 ,cartwright 7for himself1 ,ms4 ,norton1
 ,ms4 ,wilson of ,florida1 ,mr4 ,pocan1 
,ms4 ,titus1 ,mrs4 ,christensen1 ,mr4   
,conyers1 ,mr4 ,rangel1 ,mr4 ,payne1    
,mr4 ,blumenauer1 ,mr4 ,rush1 ,mr4      
,pierluisi1 ,ms4 ,de,gette1 ,ms4        
,kaptur1 ,ms4 ,clarke1 ,mr4 ,polis1 ,mr4
 ,honda1 and ,mr4 ,crdenas7 introduced  
the following bill2 which was referred  
to the ,committee on ,education and the 
,workforce  ,a ,,bill  ,to provide      
employees with #b hours of paid leave in
 order to vote in ,federal elections4   
#a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited
 as the ,time ,off to ,vote ,act4  #b4  
,requirement for #b hours paid leave to 
vote in ,federal elections  7a7         
,entitlement to leave ,an employee shall
 be entitled to #b hours of paid leave  
on the day of any ,federal election in  
order to vote4  7b7 ,employer right ,to 
determine #b-;,hour period ,for each    

employee taking leave under subsection  
7a71 the employer of such employee may  
designate the #b-;hour period during    
which the employee may take leave4 ,any 
lunch break or other break period may   
not be included in the #b-;hour period  
designated for leave4  7c7 ,no loss of  
benefits ,the taking of leave under this
 section shall not result in the loss of
 any employment benefit accrued prior to
 the date on which the leave was taken4 
7d7 ,prohibited ,acts  7#a7             
,interference with rights under this    
,act ,it shall be unlawful for any      
employer to interfere with1 restrain1 or
 deny the exercise of or the attempt to 
exercise1 the right to take leave under 
this ,act1 or to discriminate against an
 employee in any manner for taking leave
 under this ,act4  7#b7 ,retaliation ,it
 shall be unlawful for any employer to  
discharge or in any other manner        
discriminate against any individual     
for--  7,a7 opposing any practice made  
unlawful by this section2  7,b7 filing  

any charge1 or instituting or causing to
 be instituted any proceeding1 under or 
related to this section2  7,c7 giving or
 preparing to give any information in   
connection with any inquiry or          
proceeding relating to any leave        
provided under this section2 or  7,d7   
testifying or preparing to testify in   
any inquiry or proceeding relating to   
any leave provided under this section4  
7e7 ,investigative authority ,the       
,secretary of ,labor shall have         
investigative authority with respect to 
the provisions of this subsection in the
 same manner and under the same terms   
and conditions as the investigative     
authority provided under section #ajf of
 the ,family and ,medical ,leave ,act of
 #aiic 7#bi ,u4,s4,c4 #bfaf71 and the   
requirements of section #ajf of such    
,act shall apply to employers under this
 subsection in the same manner as such  
requirements apply to employers under   
section #ajf of such ,act4  7f7         
,enforcement  7#a7 ,in general ,any     

employer that violates this ,act may be 
subject to a civil penalty not to exceed
 #aj1jjj per violation4 ,civil penalties
 shall be assessed by and paid to the   
,secretary of ,labor for deposit into   
the ,treasury of the ,united ,states and
 shall accrue to the ,united ,states and
 may be recovered in a civil action in  
the name of the ,united ,states brought 
in the ,united ,states district court   
for the district where the violation is 
alleged to have occurred or where the   
employer has its principal office4  7#b7
 ,considerations ,in assessing a civil  
penalty under this ,act1 the ,secretary 
shall give due consideration to the     
appropriateness of the penalty with     
respect to the size of the business of  
the employer being charged1 the gravity 
of the violation1 the good faith of the 
employer1 and the history of previous   
violations4  7g7 ,definitions ,as used  
in this ,act--  7#a7 the term employee  
has the meaning given such term in      
section #c of the ,fair ,labor          

,standards ,act of #aich 7#bi ,u4,s4,c4 
#bjc72 and  7#b7 the term employer means
 any person engaged in commerce or in   
any industry or activity affecting      
commerce who employs #be or more        
employees during a calendar year1 and   
includes any person who acts1 directly  
or indirectly1 in the interest of an    
employer to any of the employees of such
 employer and any successor in interest 
of an employer4 ,in the previous        
sentence1 the terms commerce and        
industry or activity affecting commerce 
have the meaning given such terms in    
section #aja7a7 of the ,family and      
,medical ,leave ,act of #aiic4  7h7     
,effective date ,this section shall take
 effect beginning with the first        
,federal election held after the date of
 enactment of this ,act4