— from Chase Gallagher for Governor Inslee’s Office —
With Gov. Jay Inslee’s signature today, Washington became the fifth state in the U.S. to establish a paid family and medical leave program for workers — and arguably the most forward-thinking one in the nation.
The new law Inslee signed was passed by the Legislature last week with strong bipartisan support and will be in place by 2020.
It creates the Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program, which will provide everyone in the workforce with up to 12 weeks of paid medical leave, and up to 12 weeks of paid time off to care for a new child or an ailing family member. That leave is capped at 16 weeks if the employee needs both types of time off in one-year period. Women who experience pregnancy complications may receive an additional two weeks of leave.
Depending on their earnings, employees will receive up to 90 percent of their wage or salary or up to $1,000 per week during their leave. Employees become eligible for the program after working 820 hours.
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