CA AB1949

Grants eligible employees up to 5 days of bereavement leave upon the death of a family member (spouse, child, parent, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, domestic partner, or parent-in-law), to be completed within 3 months of the death.

Requires employers with 5 or more employees to provide bereavement leave pursuant to existing company policy; if no policy exists, leave may be unpaid but employees can use accrued vacation, personal leave, sick leave, or compensatory time.

Makes it unlawful for employers to refuse bereavement leave or to discriminate, retaliate, or interfere with employees exercising bereavement leave rights; requires employers to maintain confidentiality of bereavement leave requests and related documentation.

Expands the small employer family leave mediation pilot program to include mediation for bereavement leave violations for employers with 5-19 employees, with mediation required before civil action can be filed.

Revises state employee bereavement leave to provide 3 paid days plus up to 2 additional days (paid or charged against sick leave) without requiring the death to be out of state.