City and State Updates
California
Employment Development Department (EDD)
The EDD sent a reminder to Voluntary Plan employers regarding the Administrative Contact Forms that are required to be submitted on an annual basis (and when there is a change to the administrative contact information). If Larkin administers your Voluntary Plan, you have already received the forms for review and signature. We will submit the forms to the EDD on your behalf by the deadline of Monday, June 16, 2025.
Additionally, the EDD has released the forecasted SDI contribution rate and maximum weekly benefit amount for 2026. The contribution rate is expected to increase to 1.3% (from 1.2% in 2025) and the maximum weekly benefit amount is also expected to increase to $1,710 (from $1,681 in 2025). We will keep you informed once the rates have been confirmed, but you may view the forecasted fund report here.
Cook County, Illinois
Back in December of 2023, Cook County implemented a Paid Leave Ordinance that essentially required employers in the county to provide 40 hours of paid leave per year for any reason. Well, the Cook County Board of Commissioners approved amendments to revise the mandatory leave rules. Here’s a summary of the changes:
- Employers are not required to compensate employees using Paid Leave with accrual of other paid leave (vacation, sick, personal days, etc.), but may elect to do so. If they do, they shall do so in the same manner and extent as if the employee has performed regular work.
- Park and School District employees are to begin accruing Paid Leave as of January 1, 2025, or on their date of hire if it occurs after.
- An employer can set minimum increments for the use of Paid Leave, provided that it is no greater than 2 hours. School districts can set a minimum increment as well, however, the minimum increment should be no greater than a regular workday.
- Employees may now elect to utilize Paid Leave when suspended or otherwise placed on disciplinary leave – employers can no longer require this.
- Wages earned while using Paid Leave should be paid no later than the next regular payroll period after the pay period in which the employee used their leave.
Be sure to review your paid-leave policies to ensure that any necessary revisions are addressed. As a reminder, if any changes to a paid-leave policy are necessary, changes should be provided to employees in writing as soon as practicable, but in no case longer than 5 days.
Indiana
The Indiana General Assembly has passed SB 409 to allow employees in the state to take leave for an attendance conference or a case conference committee meeting in respect to the employee’s child, whether biological, adopted, foster, or stepchild. However, employees should make a reasonable effort to schedule a conference or meeting electronically rather than in person. Covered employers under this law are those with at least 1 employee within the state, and leave can be unpaid. This includes travel time to and from the conference or meeting. Employees can be required to provide documentation verifying that they attended a conference or meeting for their child, and upon request, a school can provide this documentation to an employer or the employee. This law will become effective as of July 1, 2025.
Maryland
Maryland has passed SB 785 which amends the definition of an employer under the Parental Leave Act (MD PLA). The PLA states that employers must provide up to 6 weeks of unpaid leave for pregnancy, the birth, adoption, or placement of a child and applies to employers who have between 15 and 49 employees in the state. With this update, effective October 1, 2025, the Act no longer applies to employers who are covered under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) for the current year. This means that larger employers are no longer obligated to provide leave under the Act, and thus limiting when both leaves may run concurrently.
Missouri
Just as fast as it arrived, it’s leaving – Missouri’s Paid Sick Leave will likely be out of the picture within the coming weeks. Lawmakers in the state passed House Bill 567 to repeal paid sick leave, and is now awaiting Governor Kehoe’s signature. Should this happen, the repeal will go into effect as of August 28, 2025. In the meantime, the law stays in effect through that date, so employers will need to continue to follow paid sick leave requirements until then. We’ll let you know if or when the governor signs off.
New Hampshire
This is a quick reminder that HB 358, New Hampshire’s lactation law, goes into effect on July 1, 2025. For details regarding an employer’s responsibilities, please refer to this newsletter.
Washington
Paid Sick Leave
HB 1875, signed into law on April 25, 2025 by Governor Ferguson, amends the Evergreen State’s paid sick leave law to allow employees to use leave to prepare for or participate in certain immigration proceedings (for the employee or the employee’s family member). To verify leave, an employee may submit, and the employer must accept documentation that the employee or the employee’s family member is involved in a qualifying immigration proceeding. Documentation may come from an advocate for immigrants or refugees, an attorney, a member of the clergy, or other professional. An employee’s written statement that they or their family member is involved in an immigration proceeding must also be accepted. Documentation or the employee’s written statement must not disclose any personally identifiable information about a person’s immigration status or underlying immigration protection. The amendment will be effective as of July 27, 2025. As a reminder, The Larkin Company does not administer paid sick leave.
Paid Family and Medical Leave
There’s a possibility we’ll be seeing some changes impact the Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave program. The bill amending the law, HB 1213, has passed and would come into effect as of January 1, 2026, however there is a provision stating that if there is no funding in the omnibus appropriations by June 30, 2025, then it will become null and void. We’ll let you know if this happens to be the case, but in the meantime, these are the changes on the horizon:
- Minimum duration of claim benefit payments will be reduced to 4 consecutive hours of leave, instead of 8.
- Employees are entitled to employment restoration (to the position held by the employee when the leave commenced or to an equivalent position with equivalent benefits, pay, and other terms and conditions of employment) upon returning from WA PFML leave, regardless of if they also qualify for and receive concurrent leave under the FMLA.
- The length of service requirement for an employee to be eligible for WA PFML will be 180 calendar days as of the start of the leave, regardless of employer size.
- Provisions will be in place to prevent employees from consecutive use or “stacking” of FMLA and WA PFML leave, rather than concurrent usage. Employers should provide employees with a written notice within 5 days of the employee’s leave request confirming 1) that the employer is designating and counting the employee’s unpaid leave against the employee’s entitlement under the FMLA, and 2) since the employee is eligible for WA PFML but is not applying for and receiving benefits, that the employer is counting the unpaid leave towards WA PFML.
Canada Updates
British Columbia
Bill 11, The Employment Standards Amendment Act, has reached royal assent as of May 29, 2025. If you would like a refresher on the changes to come, we covered it in this newsletter. As a reminder, further regulations will be established to clarify the changes from the Bill – the BC government has stated “[t]he regulation will be implemented prior to respiratory illness season in fall 2025.” We will inform you accordingly once the effective date is confirmed, and any other changes the incoming regulations may make.
Ontario
We wanted to provide a friendly reminder that Ontario’s new Long-term Illness Leave will be going into effect as of June 19, 2025. If you include Ontario-specific leave benefits information within your company handbook, be sure to review if any updates are needed.
Saskatchewan
Having received royal assent, Bill 5 (PDF), An Act to Amend the Saskatchewan Employment Act, will amend the province’s Employment Standards Act and become effective on a date determined by the Order of the Lieutenant Governor in Council. This bill will affect leaves of absence, payments in case of layoffs or terminations, notice regarding group terminations, and other topics under the ESA. Once the date is confirmed, we will let you know. The changes to leaves of absence are as follows:
- Pregnancy leave has been amended so employees who experience a loss of pregnancy at 20 weeks or less may still be entitled to the leave. This used to be limited to a loss of pregnancy at 13 weeks or less.
- Bereavement leave has been amended so leave can be taken within 6 months after the death of the employee’s immediate family or other prescribed person. The leave now also covers loss of pregnancy as a qualifying reason, whether it is the employee, their immediate family member, or any other person if the employee would have been a parent to the child.
- Domestic and sexual violence leave will now also include up to 16 weeks of continuous leave within a 52-week period. Currently, employees are only entitled to 10 days total, 5 of which are paid. With the new changes, employees will be entitled to 10 days of intermittent leave, 5 of which are paid, plus 16 continuous weeks.
