Bill > S1287

This bill modifies existing family leave legislation to expand bereavement leave provisions, allowing covered individuals to take up to 8 weeks of leave related to the death of a family member. Specifically, the bill permits employees to take leave for funeral attendance, making death-related arrangements, or grieving, with the ability to take this leave intermittently or on a reduced schedule. Employees are entitled to weekly benefits for 2 of those 8 weeks, and the bill provides flexible certification options for bereavement leave, such as providing an obituary, funeral program, death certificate, or mental health provider documentation. The bill ensures that these bereavement leave weeks do not reduce the total amount of leave an employee is entitled to and prevents employers from requiring employees to take concurrent leave if multiple family members die in a single benefit year. The legislation is part of a broader family and medical leave framework that already covers other types of leave, such as bonding with a new child, caring for a family member, or addressing military-related exigencies.

Budget and Finance, Labor and Employment

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/S1287