Bill > H2064

This bill establishes a mandatory bereavement leave policy for employees who have lost a child under 18 years old, requiring employers to provide up to 10 days of paid leave within 12 months of the child's death. The leave can be taken consecutively or non-consecutively and must be paid at the employee's regular rate of pay, with employment benefits continuing to accrue during the leave period. For part-time workers, compensation will be calculated based on their average hours worked in the preceding 12 months. Employees are expected to provide advance notice when possible, but if an absence is unscheduled, they have 30 days to provide documentation proving the reason for the absence, such as a death certificate, obituary, funeral program, police report, or mental health provider document. The bill does not prevent employers from offering more generous bereavement leave policies and does not interfere with existing bargaining agreements or company policies that provide greater leave benefits. Employers must notify employees of these rights, and the attorney general will be responsible for enforcing the law, with the ability to seek injunctive or equitable relief. The law will take effect on January 1 of the year following its enactment.

Labor and Employment

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H2064