Paid Sick Leave Laws Update

Paid Sick Leave Laws Update

Since our August 2019 newsletter came out, additional jurisdictions have enacted, or will soon enact, paid sick leave laws, including Nevada (effective January 1, 2020) and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (effective March 15, 2020).

The Nevada law is more generous by allowing employees to use accrued paid leave for any reason, not limited to illness or medical reasons. There is no requirement to pay the balance upon termination.

On July 17, 2019, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that Pittsburgh’s 2015 paid sick leave law (which has been on hold because of legal challenge) is lawful. The law’s new effective date will be March 15, 2020.

Two cities in Texas also had passed paid sick leave laws – San Antonio (effective August 1, 2019) and Austin (effective October 1, 2018) – but both cities’ laws have been on hold because of legal challenge. Dallas voluntarily opted to delay implementation until April 1, 2020.

There was also a new requirement in Minneapolis, Minnesota, requiring the printing of sick and safe time leave balance information on the paystub effective July 1, 2019.

Please note that some jurisdictions refer to certain non-sickness, safety-related uses as “safe time,” while other jurisdictions do not use that label but still allow sick leave to be used in specified non-sickness related activities. (Click here for a chart of the new laws and previously-enacted paid sick leave laws.)