,,ii #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #bedi ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,july #cj1 #bjbe ,ms4 ,hirono 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,blumenthal1 ,ms4 ,blunt ,rochester1 ,mr4 ,booker1 ,mr4 ,coons1 ,mr4 ,durbin1 ,mr4 ,gallego1 ,mrs4 ,gillibrand1 ,mr4 ,kaine1 ,mr4 ,merkley1 ,mr4 ,padilla1 ,mr4 ,reed1 ,mr4 ,schiff1 ,mr4 ,van ,hollen1 ,ms4 ,warren1 ,mr4 ,welch1 ,mr4 ,whitehouse1 and ,mr4 ,wyden7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions ,a ,,bill ,to provide employees with a minimum of #b consecutive 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 ,requirement ,to provide leave ,upon the request of an employee1 an employer shall provide to the employee a minimum of #b consecutive hours of paid leave on a day of any ,federal election1 while polls or sites that facilitate voting-related activity are open1 in order to vote1 return in person a ballot that was received in the mail1 or perform other voting-related activity4 7b7 ,employer right ,to determine two-,hour period ,for each employee taking leave under subsection 7a71 the employer of such employee may specify the hours during which the employee may take such leave1 including by requiring that the employee take the leave during a period designated for early voting instead of on the day of the election1 as applicable under ,state law4 ,any lunch break or other break period may not be included in the #b-;hour period designated for leave1 but may be taken consecutively with the #b-;hour period described in subsection 7a74 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 section 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 section 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 ,act3 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 #bjc74 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 #aiic 7#bi ,u4,s4,c4 #bfaa7a774 7h7 ,state and local laws ,nothing in this ,act shall be construed to supersede any provision of any ,state or local law that requires an employer to provide leave to an employee1 for the purpose of voting in any ,federal1 ,state1 or municipal election1 in an amount greater than that required under this ,act1 or under terms more beneficial to an employee than those provided under this ,act4 7i7 ,effective date ,this section shall take effect beginning with the first ,federal election held after the date of enactment of this ,act4