HB1227 Summary

• Establishes a paid family leave program for state and county employees, effective July 1, 2025.

• Qualified employees (those with 1,250+ hours of service over 12 months) are entitled to 12 weeks of paid leave for birth/adoption of a child or to care for a family member with a serious health condition.

• Paid family leave for birth or placement must be taken in one continuous period unless employee and employer agree otherwise; leave for family care due to serious health conditions may be taken intermittently or on a reduced schedule when medically necessary.

• Employees retain health insurance benefits during leave, maintain employment protections including restoration to the same or equivalent position upon return, and cannot be coerced or intimidated for exercising leave rights.

• Leave benefits supplement existing protections under federal Family and Medical Leave Act and other Hawaii employment laws, with no requirement to exhaust accrued leave before using paid family leave.