Washington state recently passed a paid family leave law which takes effect in January 2020.  The law provides employees up to 12 weeks of paid leave for the birth or adoption of a child or for the serious medical condition of an employee or the employee’s family member.  The law provides for 16 weeks of paid leave if the aforementioned reasons for leave are combined. An additional two weeks of paid leave may be used if there is a serious health condition associated with a pregnancy.
The paid leave is funded through both employer and employee contributions; however, employers with 50 or less employees are exempt from paying the employer share. Premium payments for employers and employees would begin in January 2019. Paid leave payments to eligible employees are based on a percentage of the employee’s wages and will be capped at $1,000 per week.  Companies that already offer equivalent paid leave programs will be able to opt out with approval from the state commissioner’s office.
We will continue to share updates as more information becomes available.