California Enacts/Expands Four Paid Leave Laws

California COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave fills in gaps in the federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), which applies only to employers with fewer than 500 employees. It also codified an earlier executive order by the California governor that mandated COVID-19-related leave for California food sector workers. The California Family Rights Act (CFRA) was expanded to cover more workplaces and provide job-protected leave for caregiving to a broader group of family members beginning Jan. 1, 2021. The CFRA applies to employers with five or more employees, compared to 50 for the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). California Paid Family Leave was also expanded to include paid leave to care for relations with qualifying exigencies arising out of military service.

California Labor Code Sec. 230 was expanded to provide job-protected leave for employees who suffer physical or mental injury, or a threat of physical injury, resulting from violent crimes or certain felonies, regardless of whether the incident involved an arrest or criminal conviction. To learn more about these California leave expansions, visit https://dmec.org/2020/10/06/californias-governor-signs-several-bills-causing-bold-changes-to-employee-leaves/.

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