Within the past ten years or so, there has been an uptick in states adopting laws concerning paid sick leave. As a result, multi-state employers have become accustomed to having to closely monitor the adoption of laws in the states in which their employees work to ensure their policies and practices are in compliance with all applicable paid leave laws. That task became more cumbersome with the rise in remote work as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the rise in local jurisdictions following suit and adopting their own paid leave laws.
While the trend of states and local jurisdictions adopting paid leave laws has slowed, it has not stopped. For example, Alaska has adopted a sick leave law, with leave accrual under the new law beginning on July 1, 2025. Additionally, Nebraska recently adopted a law requiring paid sick leave as of October 1, 2025.
Based on a review of recent legal changes concerning paid leave laws, however, there is another emerging trend: state and local jurisdictions that already have paid laws in place are now amending their paid leave laws, generally, to expand the requirements and provide greater benefits to employees. As such, while employers can certainly expect the task of monitoring for new leave laws to continue, employers should also add to their task list the monitoring of amendments to already existing paid leave laws in the states and local jurisdictions in which they do business.
Examples of amendments to existing paid leave laws
- Connecticut. Effective January 1, 2025, Connecticut adopted multiple amendments to its current paid sick leave law, including, but not limited to, a faster accrual rate of paid time off and an expansion of the scope of covered reasons for use of the leave.
- Illinois. Effective January 1, 2024, state-required accrued paid leave, up to a maximum of 40 hours annually, can now be used for any reason the employee chooses.
- City of Chicago and Cook County, Illinois. These two ordinances allow employees who accrue paid leave to use such leave for any reason the employee chooses.
- Maine. Effective September 24, 2025, employers must allow employees to carry over up to 40 hours of leave to the following year while still allowing the employees to accrue up to 40 hours in that year.
- Washington state. Effective July 27, 2025, the scope of covered reasons for use of the leave was broadened.
While the above demonstrates the broadening of rights and expansion of benefits under current paid leave laws, not every state and local jurisdiction is moving in that direction. In fact, many states have introduced legislation banning local jurisdictions from establishing a right to paid leave. Moreover, just earlier this month, the governor of Missouri signed legislation that will repeal the statewide paid leave that voters approved last fall and just went into effect May 1, 2025. The repeal is set to go into effect on August 28, 2025, thereby eliminating Missouri employers’ obligation to provide paid sick leave to Missouri employees as of August 28, 2025. While employers will not be penalized for providing employees with greater benefits than required by applicable law, staying on top of such developments may nonetheless have a large financial impact on employers should they choose to amend their policies.
Key Takeaways for Employers
Given the frequent changes to state and local paid leave laws, employers should maintain an up-to-date list consisting of the city, county, and state where each employee works and a process that ensures either in-house or outside counsel are regularly monitoring the laws in the applicable jurisdictions for new and amended paid leave requirements in order to confirm the employer’s policies and practices remain compliant.
