Senate Bill 1257 Summary

• Employers must provide 16 weeks of paid parental leave annually to each full-time employee for purposes related to birth or care of a newborn child.

• Employees may use parental leave beginning on the act's effective date or upon employment commencement, whichever is later, and employers cannot require finding a replacement worker as a condition of use.

• Employers must pay employees using parental leave at the greater of their normal hourly wage or the state minimum wage, with employers compliant if providing equivalent paid leave (vacation, personal days, or PTO) under the same conditions.

• Employers are prohibited from interfering with parental leave rights, taking retaliatory actions against employees who exercise such rights, or treating parental leave as an absence under attendance policies; violations within 365 days of protected activity create a rebuttable presumption of retaliation.

• Employees may bring civil actions for violations within 5 years, seeking back pay, reinstatement, benefits reestablishment, and damages plus attorney fees; the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs enforces the act and may pursue civil actions on employees' behalf with civil fines up to $1,500 per violation.