Washington Business Fall 2017 | Legislative Review & Vote Record | Page 16
2017 legislative review
Paid Leave Law Balances Employer, Employee Needs
Passed with strong bipartisan support, Washington’s new paid
family and medical leave law is the result of months of negotiations
between employers, labor and lawmakers.
Bobbi Cussins
At A Glance
Senate Bill 5975 was negotiated by
business, labor and a bipartisan group
of legislators in the House and Senate.
Senate Bill 5975 passed June 30 by a
vote of 65-29 in the House and 37-12
in the Senate.
Small businesses with fewer than
50 employees are not required to
participate or pay into the plan, but
their employees pay into the
program and are covered.
Employers of any size with an equal or
better paid leave benefit can apply for
a waiver to opt out of the program.
Employers and employees will begin
paying into the program Jan. 1, 2019.
The paid family and medical leave
benefit will be available to employees
beginning in 2020.
The new law is uniform throughout the
state, ending the confusion created
when leave laws vary from city to city.
Washington state is the fifth
state to provide this benefit.
14 association of washington business
On July 5, Gov. Jay Inslee put his signature on Senate Bill 5975, creating a
statewide paid family and medical leave law. The new law provides workers
with paid time off for the birth or adoption of a child, or a serious medical
condition by the worker or worker’s family members. AWB Government
Affairs Director Bob Battles and dozens of member companies of all sizes
negotiated the legislation over several months, reaching an agreement that
gives small-business owners relief and employees of all Washington companies
the financial security they need to tend to family or medical issues.
Complex policies that
impact employees and their
employers are best worked
out at the legislative level.
That was the conclusion
lawmakers, business and
labor leaders made this year
as they worked together to
— Bob Battles, AWB government affairs director
reach agreement on a state-
wide, uniform paid family
and medical leave law after several years of debate on the policy.
AWB, led by Government Affairs Director Bob Battles, facilitated member-driven
meetings and legislative and stakeholder negotiations over several months. The result
was bipartisan agreement on a paid leave law that protects small-business owners and
gives workers income security in their times of need.
The legislation, Senate Bill 5975, was sponsored by Sen. Joe Fain, R-Auburn, who
worked alongside Sen. Karen Kaiser, D-Kent, and a host of other lawmakers from both
sides of the aisle, and from both chambers, including Rep. Gina McCabe, R-Golden-
dale, and Rep. Matt Manweller, R-Ellensburg.
“When you’re dealing with a policy
that affects people’s lives, everyone
needs to come to the table, share
their views and be willing to find
compromise.”
in brief: the paid family and medical leave law
The paid family leave law allows workers to take 12 to 16 weeks of leave using disability
definitions under the Federal Medical Leave Act (FMLA). That includes: birth or