Senate Bill 12 (sSB12 File No. 340) seeks to amend the existing paid sick leave law in the state, with changes to take effect from October 1, 2024. The bill redefines several terms, including "Child," "Employee," "Employer," "Family member," "Grandchild," "Parent," "Paid sick leave," "Mental health wellness day," and "Retaliatory personnel action," and introduces new definitions such as "Sibling" and updates the definition of "Spouse" to be more inclusive. It also revises the accrual rate of paid sick leave from one hour for every forty hours worked to one hour for every thirty hours worked. The bill allows employees to carry over up to forty hours of unused paid sick leave or receive a lump sum at the beginning of the year. It specifies that employees are entitled to use accrued paid sick leave after 100 days of employment and outlines provisions for maintaining accrued sick leave during company transfers or successions.

The bill expands the scope of employees covered by the paid sick leave provisions by replacing the term "service worker" with "employee" and prohibits employers from requiring employees to find replacements when using sick leave. It also details the conditions under which paid sick leave can be used, including for personal or family member's health, mental health wellness days, public health emergency closures, and instances of family violence or sexual assault. Employers may require documentation for leave of three or more consecutive days but cannot ask for illness details or nature of family violence or sexual assault. The bill protects employees from retaliation for using paid sick leave or filing complaints and requires employers to provide notice of sick leave entitlements through posters and written notice. It also outlines recordkeeping requirements, including displaying accrued and used paid sick leave on pay stubs and maintaining records for three years, with penalties for non-compliance. The bill grants the labor commissioner the authority to adopt regulations to implement the paid sick leave law.

Statutes affected:
Governor's Bill: 31-57s, 31-57u, 31-57v, 31-57w
LAB Joint Favorable Substitute: 31-57s, 31-57u, 31-57v, 31-57w
File No. 340: 31-57s, 31-57u, 31-57v, 31-57w