California Expands Sick Leave Law

Under California’s Healthy Workplace Healthy Families Act, employers must provide sick leave for the following purposes:

  • Diagnosis, care, or treatment of an existing health condition of, or preventive care for, an employee or an employee’s family member.
  • For an employee who is a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking.

A new state law, effective January 1, 2025, expands the availability of sick leave for when an employee’s family member is a victim.

The law also expands the concept of “victim.” Rather than limited to a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, a “victim” now includes an individual against whom a qualifying act of violence is committed. “Qualifying act of violence” means any of the following, regardless of whether anyone is arrested for, prosecuted for, or convicted of committing any crime:

  • Domestic violence.
  • Sexual assault.
  • Stalking.
  • An act, conduct, or pattern of conduct that includes any of the following:
    • In which an individual causes bodily injury or death to another individual.
    • In which an individual exhibits, draws, brandishes, or uses a firearm, or other dangerous weapon, with respect to another individual.
    • In which an individual uses, or makes a reasonably perceived or actual threat to use, force against another individual to cause physical injury or death.

Employees may also take sick leave under the newly amended law for the following reasons (some of which were already available to employees):

  • To obtain or attempt to obtain any relief. Relief includes, but is not limited to, a temporary restraining order, restraining order, or other injunctive relief, to help ensure the health, safety, or welfare of the victim or their child.
  • To obtain or attempt to obtain any relief for the family member.
  • To seek, obtain, or assist a family member to seek or obtain, medical attention for or to recover from injuries caused by a qualifying act of violence.
  • To seek, obtain, or assist a family member to seek or obtain services from a domestic violence shelter, program, rape crisis center, or victim services organization or agency as a result of a qualifying act of violence.
  • To seek, obtain, or assist a family member to seek or obtain psychological counseling or mental health services related to an experience of a qualifying act of violence.
  • To participate in safety planning or take other actions to increase safety from future qualifying acts of violence.
  • To relocate or engage in the process of securing a new residence due to the qualifying act of violence, including, but not limited to, securing temporary or permanent housing or enrolling children in a new school or childcare.
  • To provide care to a family member who is recovering from injuries caused by a qualifying act of violence.
  • To seek, obtain, or assist a family member to seek or obtain civil or criminal legal services in relation to the qualifying act of violence.
  • To prepare for, participate in, or attend any civil, administrative, or criminal legal proceeding related to the qualifying act of violence.
  • To seek, obtain, or provide childcare or care to a care-dependent adult if the childcare or care is necessary to ensure the safety of the child or dependent adult as a result of the qualifying act of violence.

Access the full text of the amended law here.

Finally, make sure to visit our platform for more recent updates to California law.

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