There’s a growing push to require employers to offer paid leave to their employees, but one local proposal goes above and beyond other paid leave initiatives.
The Universal Paid Leave Act of 2015 was introduced by the District of Columbia Council and would require DC employers to grant up to 16 weeks of paid family leave and 16 weeks of paid medical leave per year.
Similar to unemployment
The bill would create a system similar to unemployment where DC employers pay a percentage of workers’ annual pay into a DC-administered fund.
Under the bill, employees who were employed for at least six months – and worked at least 500 hours during the 12-months before the leave request – would be eligible for the 16 weeks of leave.
The bill would also incorporate this shorter eligibility period to standard FMLA requests (FMLA requires at least 1,250 worked hours during the 12-months before the leave request).
Employers will want to keep an eye on how this plays out because, much like the mandatory sick leave laws that have sprung up in a number of cities and states, this legislation could have a domino effect.
