<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" standalone="no"?>
<billStatus>
  <version>3.0.0</version>
  <bill>
    <number>656</number>
    <updateDate>2026-02-04T04:26:27Z</updateDate>
    <updateDateIncludingText>2026-02-04T04:26:27Z</updateDateIncludingText>
    <originChamber>House</originChamber>
    <originChamberCode>H</originChamberCode>
    <type>HR</type>
    <introducedDate>2025-01-23</introducedDate>
    <congress>119</congress>
    <legislationUrl>https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/656</legislationUrl>
    <cdata>
      <constitutionalAuthorityStatementText>&lt;pre&gt;[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 14 (Thursday, January 23, 2025)][House]From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [&lt;a href="https://www.gpo.gov"&gt;www.gpo.gov&lt;/a&gt;]By Mrs. BICE:H.R. 656.Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuantto the following:Article 1 , Section 8Clause 13: to provide and maintain a NavyClause 14: to make rules for the Government and Regulationof the land and naval ForcesClause 16: to provide for organizing, arming, anddisciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part ofthem as may be employed in the Service in the United States,reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of theOfficers, and the Authority of training the Militia accordingto the discipline prescribed by CongressClause 18: to make all Laws which shall be necessary andproper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, andall other Powers vested by this Constitution in theGovernment of the United States or in any Department orOfficer thereof.[Page H388]&lt;/pre&gt;</constitutionalAuthorityStatementText>
    </cdata>
    <committees>
      <item>
        <systemCode>hsas00</systemCode>
        <name>Armed Services Committee</name>
        <chamber>House</chamber>
        <type>Standing</type>
        <activities>
          <item>
            <name>Referred To</name>
            <date>2025-01-23T15:00:10Z</date>
          </item>
        </activities>
      </item>
    </committees>
    <actions>
      <item>
        <actionDate>2025-01-23</actionDate>
        <text>Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.</text>
        <type>IntroReferral</type>
        <actionCode>H11100</actionCode>
        <sourceSystem>
          <code>2</code>
          <name>House floor actions</name>
        </sourceSystem>
        <committees>
          <item>
            <systemCode>hsas00</systemCode>
            <name>Armed Services Committee</name>
          </item>
        </committees>
      </item>
      <item>
        <actionDate>2025-01-23</actionDate>
        <text>Introduced in House</text>
        <type>IntroReferral</type>
        <actionCode>Intro-H</actionCode>
        <sourceSystem>
          <code>9</code>
          <name>Library of Congress</name>
        </sourceSystem>
      </item>
      <item>
        <actionDate>2025-01-23</actionDate>
        <text>Introduced in House</text>
        <type>IntroReferral</type>
        <actionCode>1000</actionCode>
        <sourceSystem>
          <code>9</code>
          <name>Library of Congress</name>
        </sourceSystem>
      </item>
    </actions>
    <sponsors>
      <item>
        <bioguideId>B000740</bioguideId>
        <fullName>Rep. Bice, Stephanie I. [R-OK-5]</fullName>
        <firstName>Stephanie</firstName>
        <lastName>Bice</lastName>
        <party>R</party>
        <state>OK</state>
        <middleName>I.</middleName>
        <district>5</district>
        <isByRequest>N</isByRequest>
      </item>
    </sponsors>
    <cosponsors>
      <item>
        <bioguideId>H001085</bioguideId>
        <fullName>Rep. Houlahan, Chrissy [D-PA-6]</fullName>
        <firstName>Chrissy</firstName>
        <lastName>Houlahan</lastName>
        <party>D</party>
        <state>PA</state>
        <district>6</district>
        <sponsorshipDate>2025-01-23</sponsorshipDate>
        <isOriginalCosponsor>True</isOriginalCosponsor>
      </item>
    </cosponsors>
    <policyArea>
      <name>Armed Forces and National Security</name>
    </policyArea>
    <subjects>
      <legislativeSubjects>
        <item>
          <name>Employee leave</name>
          <updateDate>2025-03-17T16:13:06Z</updateDate>
        </item>
        <item>
          <name>Military personnel and dependents</name>
          <updateDate>2025-03-17T16:13:13Z</updateDate>
        </item>
      </legislativeSubjects>
      <policyArea>
        <name>Armed Forces and National Security</name>
        <updateDate>2025-02-26T16:29:12Z</updateDate>
      </policyArea>
    </subjects>
    <summaries>
      <summary>
        <versionCode>00</versionCode>
        <actionDate>2025-01-23</actionDate>
        <actionDesc>Introduced in House</actionDesc>
        <updateDate>2025-04-17T16:31:56Z</updateDate>
        <cdata>
          <text>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Protecting Military Parental Leave Evaluations Act&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This bill requires the Department of Defense to prescribe regulations regarding parental leave policies for members of the Armed Forces across all branches.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Specifically, the regulations must (1) exempt a member from a performance evaluation when such member is taking parental leave that exceeds 31 consecutive days; and (2) authorize a member (without a waiver) to take leave during the two-year period after the birth of a child, adoption of a child, or placement of a minor child in the custody of such member.&lt;/p&gt;</text>
        </cdata>
      </summary>
    </summaries>
    <title>Protecting Military Parental Leave Evaluations Act</title>
    <titles>
      <item>
        <titleType>Display Title</titleType>
        <titleTypeCode>45</titleTypeCode>
        <title>Protecting Military Parental Leave Evaluations Act</title>
        <updateDate>2025-02-22T06:23:56Z</updateDate>
      </item>
      <item>
        <titleType>Short Title(s) as Introduced</titleType>
        <titleTypeCode>101</titleTypeCode>
        <title>Protecting Military Parental Leave Evaluations Act</title>
        <updateDate>2025-02-22T06:23:33Z</updateDate>
        <billTextVersionName>Introduced in House</billTextVersionName>
        <billTextVersionCode>IH</billTextVersionCode>
      </item>
      <item>
        <titleType>Official Title as Introduced</titleType>
        <titleTypeCode>6</titleTypeCode>
        <title>To improve parental leave for members of the Armed Forces.</title>
        <updateDate>2025-02-22T06:19:07Z</updateDate>
        <billTextVersionName>Introduced in House</billTextVersionName>
        <billTextVersionCode>IH</billTextVersionCode>
      </item>
    </titles>
    <textVersions>
      <item>
        <type>Introduced in House</type>
        <date>2025-01-23T05:00:00Z</date>
        <formats>
          <item>
            <url>https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-119hr656ih/xml/BILLS-119hr656ih.xml</url>
          </item>
        </formats>
      </item>
    </textVersions>
    <latestAction>
      <actionDate>2025-01-23</actionDate>
      <text>Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.</text>
    </latestAction>
  </bill>
  <dublinCore xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">
    <dc:format>text/xml</dc:format>
    <dc:language>EN</dc:language>
    <dc:rights>Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.</dc:rights>
    <dc:contributor>Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress</dc:contributor>
    <dc:description>This file contains bill summaries and statuses for federal legislation. A bill summary describes the most significant provisions of a piece of legislation and details the effects the legislative text may have on current law and federal programs. Bill summaries are authored by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the Library of Congress. As stated in Public Law 91-510 (2 USC 166 (d)(6)), one of the duties of CRS is "to prepare summaries and digests of bills and resolutions of a public general nature introduced in the Senate or House of Representatives". For more information, refer to the User Guide that accompanies this file.</dc:description>
  </dublinCore>
</billStatus>
