Bill aims to safeguard home care workers in the district from potential federal rollback of longstanding wage protections
Apr 02 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, April 2, 2026
CONTACT: Daniela Perez, [email protected]
Bill aims to safeguard home care workers in the district from potential federal rollback of longstanding wage protections
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, D.C. Councilmember Janeese Lewis George introduced the Strengthening Our Home Care Workforce Amendment Act of 2026 to protect overtime rights for home care workers in the district amid the threat of a federal rollback that could strip those protections away. Councilmembers Phil Mendelson, Christina Henderson, Brianne Nadeau, Charles Allen and Brooke Pinto co-introduced the legislation. The bill would help ensure home care workers in Washington, D.C. remain covered by wage and overtime standards even if the Trump administration finalizes a proposed U.S. Department of Labor rule reversing the 2013 federal home care rule.
“Home care workers aren’t just a vital part of D.C.’s workforce – they’re an essential part of District families, making it possible for our loved ones to age in place,” D.C. Councilmember Janeese Lewis George said. “I introduced this bill to ensure they have the protections they deserve – and to retain these high-demand workers as the District’s baby boomer population ages.”
For decades, domestic workers were excluded from core federal labor protections, including minimum wage and overtime protections, under a framework rooted in New Deal-era exclusions. The 2013 rule was a critical corrective, helping extend wage and overtime protections to professional home care workers. Worker advocates have also warned that reversing that rule would be a major setback for a workforce that provides essential care to older adults and people with disabilities. A reversal would disproportionately harm a workforce made up largely of women, especially Black women, immigrant women, and women of color.
“Home care workers make it possible for families across the district to care for their loved ones with dignity, yet they have too often been excluded from basic labor protections,” said Alana Eichner, D.C. Chapter Co-Director at the National Domestic Workers Alliance. “This legislation ensures that, regardless of what happens at the federal level, Washington, D.C., stands firmly on the side of care workers by protecting their right to overtime pay. We thank D.C. Councilmember Janeese Lewis George for her leadership on this bill and all the councilmembers who co-introduced this important legislation, and we encourage the D.C. Council to act swiftly to pass this bill.”
During the 2025 public comment period, NDWA mobilized thousands of workers, families, and consumers to speak out against the proposed federal rollback. More than 5,000 comments were submitted, with nearly half generated through NDWA’s comment collection campaign.
Most home care workers already live in or near poverty. The median annual wage for home care workers is just $21,889, while the broader direct care workforce earns a median of only $25,015. Nearly 60% rely on public assistance, including Medicaid, to make ends meet. Removing overtime protections would deepen economic instability for workers in a profession that is already undervalued and underpaid.
NDWA is working in coalition with 1199 SEIU D.C. MD, D.C. Jobs with Justice, First Shift Justice Project, and the National Women’s Law Center to raise visibility around the threat this rollback poses and the urgent need for district lawmakers to act.
