A Dozen Paid Sick Leave Laws Disappear

By Michael J. Soltis, Esq.

Paid Sick Leave @Work

It happened in New Jersey. The Garden State had passed the New Jersey Earned Sick Leave Law last May; it went into effect on Oct. 28, 2018. A provision of that law nullifies — preempts is the legal term — the thirteen municipal PSL laws that had been passed in the state, for a net reduction of twelve PSL laws. That reduces the total number of PSL laws nationwide by almost thirty percent. Of course, despite this reduction, many more Garden State employees are now covered by the single statewide PSL law than had been covered by the thirteen municipal ordinances.

PSL states in which political subdivisions had enacted a PSL law have taken different approaches to those local laws. Oregon, like New Jersey, preempted local PSL laws. California and Washington did not. Maryland’s law preempted local PSL laws but grandfathered in the Montgomery County law.

***This article originally appeared on the Paid Sick Leave @Work site and was reposted on the DMEC website with their permission.***