Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) on March 12 introduced the Fair Wages for Home Care Workers Act, which would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to guarantee minimum wage and overtime protection for more than 3 million home care workers.

The bill is of interest to long-term care companies invested in the home care space. And the legislation comes at a time the Trump Administration is considering changes to an Obama-era regulation that ended exemptions for home care workers and required those workers to be paid at least the federal minimum wage and allow for overtime pay.

“I am proud to introduce the Fair Wages for Home Care Workers Act with Senator Patty Murray to finally codify the minimum wage and overtime protections our home care workers deserve and prevent future attacks on their livelihoods,” Ocasio-Cortez said.

Federal labor law has included a loophole that excluded most home care workers, but in 2013, the U.S. Dept. of Labor finalized regulations to expand minimum wage ($7.25 an hour) and overtime pay for home care workers. In July 2025, the Trump Administration took action to reverse the 2013 rule, saying the rule has not produced the intended benefits and instead harmed employers, workers, and the families they serve.

Ocasio-Cortez and Murray said the legislation is co-sponsored by 58 House representatives and has 17 original co-sponsors in the Senate, all Democrats.

The full bill text is available here.

A one-pager of the bill is available here.

Comments or questions? Contact Patrick Connole at pconnole@parkplacelive.com.