AB 898

Current law

Family and medical leave.

Under current law, an employer, including the

state, that employs at least 50 individuals on a permanent basis must permit an

employee who has been employed by the employer for more than 52 consecutive

weeks and who has worked for the employer for at least 1,000 hours during the

preceding 52 weeks to take six weeks of family leave in a 12-month period and two

weeks of medical leave in a 12-month period. Family leave may be taken for the birth

or adoptive placement of a new child or to care for a child, spouse, or parent who has

a serious health condition. Medical leave may be taken when the employee has a

serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform the employee's

employment duties. An employee is not entitled to receive wages or salary while

taking family or medical leave, but may substitute, for portions of family or medical

leave, other types of paid or unpaid leave provided by the employer.

The bill

Paid sick leave.

This bill requires an employer, including the state, that

employs at least one individual full-time or part-time on a permanent or temporary

basis to provide an employee who has been employed by the employer for at least 90

consecutive calendar days with paid sick leave at the employee's regular rate of pay

that the employee may use for any of the following reasons:

1. Because the employee has a physical or mental illness, injury, impairment,

or condition (health condition); is in need of medical diagnosis, care, or treatment of

a health condition; or is in need of preventive medical care.

2. To care for a family member who has a health condition; who is in need of

medical diagnosis, care, or treatment of a health condition; or who is in need of

preventive medical care. The bill defines "family member" as a spouse or domestic

partner of the employee; a parent, child, sibling, including a foster sibling,

brother-in-law, sister-in-law, grandparent, stepgrandparent, or grandchild of an

employee or of an employee's spouse or domestic partner; or any other person who

is related by blood, marriage, or adoption to an employee or to an employee's spouse

or domestic partner and whose close association with the employee, spouse, or

domestic partner makes the person the equivalent of a family member of the

employee, spouse, or domestic partner.

3. Because the employee's absence from work is necessary in order for the

employee to do any of the following:

a. Seek medical attention or obtain psychological or other counseling for the

employee or a family member to recover from any health condition caused by

domestic abuse, sexual abuse, or stalking.

b. Obtain services for the employee or a family member from an organization