Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that amends requirements for paid leave, including repealing the requirement for employers with less than 10 employees or with seasonal employees to provide paid sick leave in Alaska.

Highlights:

• Exempts employers with nine or fewer employees from the requirement to provide accruing paid sick leave (Sec. 1).

• Authorizes employers to allow an employee to exchange accrued sick leave for its cash value (Sec. 1).

• Exempts employers of seasonal workers from the requirement to provide accruing paid sick leave (Sec. 4).

• Requires the Department of Labor and Workforce Development to administer a paid parental leave program (Sec. 5).

• Establishes the parental leave fund account in the state treasury, which will consist of revenue from a required 0.15% tax on the qualifying wages of all employees (Sec. 5).

• Authorizes eligible employees to use paid parental leave when they need to be absent from work to care for a child within 12 months of the child’s birth, adoption, or appointment of legal guardianship with the employee (Sec. 5).

• Requires employees who wish to obtain paid parental leave to file a claim with the department within the time period of 60 days prior to the start of an absence from work and 90 days after the start of an absence from work (Sec. 5).

• Authorizes the department to require evidence that a paid parental leave claim is for a qualifying purpose, including a birth certificate, a document from a health care provider or adoption agency, or other similar documents (Sec. 5).

• Specifies that an employee must have been working for an employer for at least 13 weeks in order to qualify for paid parental leave under this Act (Sec. 5).

• Specifies that the maximum number of weeks in a year that paid parental leave may be payable to a qualifying employee is between eight and 12 weeks, depending on the solvency of the parental leave fund (Sec. 5).

• Specifies that leave provided under the paid parental leave program shall run concurrently with any existing leave under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, or with any short-term disability or parental leave provided under a collective bargaining agreement or employer policy (Sec. 5).

• Requires the department to establish a process for employers who provide a designated paid parental leave allowance to request to opt out of the paid parental leave program (Sec. 5).

• Prohibits an employer from taking any adverse employment action against an employee who uses paid parental leave, and requires the employer to allow the employee to return to the same position or an equivalent one under the same employment terms (Sec. 5).

• Authorizes the department to implement certain employer surcharges for paid leave and state training (Sec. 7-10).

• Specifies the weekly benefit amount of the paid parental leave program based on the yearly wages of a qualifying employee (Sec. 14).

• Increases the allowance for unemployment benefits to individuals with dependents from $24 per dependent to $72 per dependent, up to a maximum of $216 per week (Sec. 15).

• Specifies that the paid parental leave program begins January 1, 2030 (Sec. 20).

• Specifies that Sections 1-4 of this Act take effect July 1, 2025 (Sec. 27).

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to adopt an amendment to a bill that repeals the requirement for employers with less than 10 employees or with seasonal employees to provide paid sick leave in Alaska.

Highlights:

• Exempts employers with nine or fewer employees from the requirement to provide accruing paid sick leave (Sec. 1).

• Authorizes employers to allow an employee to exchange accrued sick leave for its cash value (Sec. 1).

• Exempts employers of seasonal workers from the requirement to provide accruing paid sick leave (Sec. 4).

• Requires the Department of Labor and Workforce Development to administer a paid parental leave program (Sec. 5).

• Establishes the parental leave fund account in the state treasury, which will consist of revenue from a required 0.15% tax on the qualifying wages of all employees (Sec. 5).

• Authorizes eligible employees to use paid parental leave when they need to be absent from work to care for a child within 12 months of the child’s birth, adoption, or appointment of legal guardianship with the employee (Sec. 5).

• Requires employees who wish to obtain paid parental leave to file a claim with the department within the time period of 60 days prior to the start of an absence from work and 90 days after the start of an absence from work (Sec. 5).

• Authorizes the department to require evidence that a paid parental leave claim is for a qualifying purpose, including a birth certificate, a document from a health care provider or adoption agency, or other similar documents (Sec. 5).

• Specifies that an employee must have been working for an employer for at least 13 weeks in order to qualify for paid parental leave under this Act (Sec. 5).

• Specifies that the maximum number of weeks in a year that paid parental leave may be payable to a qualifying employee is between eight and 12 weeks, depending on the solvency of the parental leave fund (Sec. 5).

• Specifies that leave provided under the paid parental leave program shall run concurrently with any existing leave under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, or with any short-term disability or parental leave provided under a collective bargaining agreement or employer policy (Sec. 5).

• Requires the department to establish a process for employers who provide a designated paid parental leave allowance to request to opt out of the paid parental leave program (Sec. 5).

• Prohibits an employer from taking any adverse employment action against an employee who uses paid parental leave, and requires the employer to allow the employee to return to the same position or an equivalent one under the same employment terms (Sec. 5).

• Authorizes the department to implement certain employer surcharges for paid leave and state training (Sec. 7-10).

• Specifies the weekly benefit amount of the paid parental leave program based on the yearly wages of a qualifying employee (Sec. 14).

• Increases the allowance for unemployment benefits to individuals with dependents from $24 per dependent to $72 per dependent, up to a maximum of $216 per week (Sec. 15).

• Specifies that the paid parental leave program begins January 1, 2030 (Sec. 20).

• Specifies that Sections 1-4 of this Act take effect July 1, 2025 (Sec. 27).

Full Bill Text