Expanded Paid Leave for Abuse Victims

Several states and municipalities are broadening paid leave legislation to include protections for victims of domestic and/or sexual abuse.

In New Jersey, the Governor has signed the Paid Sick Leave Act, which will go into effect October 29, 2018. The Act will require “New Jersey employers of all sizes to provide up to 40 hours of paid sick leave per year to covered employees”. According to Baker Donelson:

Included in this law is a provision for leave for employees who are victims of domestic or sexual violence, or for leave when an employee’s family member is such a victim. Absences include those for medical attention, services from a designated domestic violence agency or other victim services organization, psychological or other counseling, legal services, or relocation.

In Rhode Island, the state’s Healthy and Safe Families and Workplace Act went into effect on July 1, 2018. The Act “requires Rhode Island employers with 18 or more employees to provide paid sick and safe leave.” For employers with 17 or fewer employees, they must “provide earned sick and safe leave, but it does not need to be paid”.

Additionally, the following states have paid leave provisions already in place:

  • Arizona
  • California
  • Connecticut
  • Maryland
  • Massachusetts
  • Oregon
  • Vermont
  • Washington

For more details surrounding recent changes made in the states of New Jersey and Rhode Island, please click here.


The information included in this blog post originally appeared in JD Supra on August 27, 2018, written by Daisy C. Karlson of Baker Donelson.

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