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Statement of Introduction Strengthening Our Home Care Workforce Amendment Act of 2026 April 1, 2026 Today, alongside Councilmembers Henderson, Allen, Nadeau, Pinto and Mendelson, I am introducing the Strengthening Our Home Care Workforce Amendment Act of 2026. This legislation strengthens protections for home care workers, who serve as a vital part of the health care and caregiving workforce community, ensuring the District is able to meet the growing demand for home care workers as D.C.’s population ages. The District of Columbia, like many states across the country, is experiencing increased demand for home care and age-in-place resources as baby boomers enter retirement. The Strengthening Our Home Care Workforce Amendment Act of 2026 seeks to retain these in-demand workers by ensuring they receive overtime protections and wage standards under District law, regardless of changes at the federal level. This bill amends the D.C. Minimum Wage Act to explicitly include domestic workers and home care workers within the definition of “employee,” and defines home care workers as those providing health services, direct personal care, supervision, or companionship to seniors and individuals with disabilities or chronic illnesses in home settings. Enshrining these protections under local law is especially important as federal protections adopted in 2015 are at risk of being rolled back, which could strip roughly 10,000 home care workers in the District of basic wage protections. Without action, D.C. could fall behind neighboring states like Maryland and Virginia that are moving to strengthen protections for these workers, making it harder for families to hire and retain the workers they rely on to help seniors and patients age-in-place. The D.C. Office of Planning projects that by 2030, more than 20% of the District’s population will be 65 or older. The Council must act now to ensure we have the workforce and resources to meet the needs of our seniors as they age. Strengthening labor protections to help retain a strong home care workforce is an important step to support those needs. I am proud to have partnered with the National Domestic Workers Alliance and District home care workers to address this gap in the District’s labor laws, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass this bill.
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1 2 _____________________________ _____________________________ 3 Chairman Phil Mendelson Councilmember Janeese Lewis George 4 5 6 _____________________________ _____________________________ 7 Councilmember Christina Henderson Councilmember Charles Allen 8 9 10 _____________________________ _____________________________ 11 Councilmember Brianne K. Nadeau Councilmember Brooke Pinto 12 13 14 15 A BILL 16 17 __________________ 18 19 20 IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 21 22 __________________ 23 24 25 To amend section 3 of the Minimum Wage Act Revision Act of 1992 to expressly include 26 domestic workers and home care workers within the definition of employee subject to 27 minimum wage and overtime protections. 28 29 BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this 30 act may be cited as the “Strengthening Our Home Care Workforce Amendment Act of 2026”. 31 Sec. 2. Section 3 of the Minimum Wage Act Revision Act of 1992, approved March 25, 32 1993 (D.C. Law 9-248; D.C. Official Code § 32-1002), is amended as follows: 33 (a) Paragraph (1A) is redesignated as paragraph (1B). 34 (b) A new paragraph (1A) is added to read as follows: 35 “(1A) The term “domestic worker” shall have the same meaning as in section 36 101(4) of the Domestic Worker Employment Rights Amendment Act of 2022, approved March 37 10, 2023 (D.C. Law 24-305; D.C. Code § 32-1071.01(4)).”. 38
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(c) Paragraph (2) is amended to strike the phrase “an employee” and insert the phrase “an 39 employee, including domestic workers and home care workers,” in its place. 40 (d) Paragraph (4A) is redesignated as paragraph (4B). 41 (e) A new paragraph (4A) is added to read as follows: 42 “(4A) The term “home care worker” means an employed individual who provides 43 direct personal care services, supervision, health-related services, or companionship to 44 individuals with disabilities, chronic illnesses, or age-related limitations in a private home or 45 residential setting.”. 46 Sec. 3. Fiscal impact statement. 47 The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement in the committee report as the fiscal 48 impact statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975, 49 approved October 16, 2006 (120 Stat. 2038; D.C. Official Code § 1-301.47a). 50 Sec. 4. Effective date. 51 This act shall take effect following approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by the 52 Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto) and a 30-day period of congressional review 53 as provided in section 602(c)(1) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 54 24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code § 1-206.02(c)(1)). 55