Massachusetts Delays Start of Required Paid Family and Medical Leave Contributions by 3 Months

Late on the afternoon of June 11, 2019, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, Senate President Karen Spilka and House Speaker Robert DeLeo announced an agreement to delay the start of employer contributions to the new Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave program until Oct. 1, 2019 (a three-month extension from the prior deadline of July 1, 2019). In a joint statement, they announced:

"To ensure businesses have adequate time to implement the state's Paid Family and Medical Leave program, the House, Senate, and Administration have agreed to adopt a three month delay to the start of required contributions to the program. We will also adopt technical changes to clarify program design. We look forward to the successful implementation of this program this fall."

Holland & Knight will continue to monitor developments concerning the Paid Family and Medical Leave program and will provide further updates as more information becomes available. For additional information about employer obligations under the law, see Holland & Knight's prior alerts, "Questions and Answers on the New Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave Law," April 8, 2019, and "Update on Deadlines and Employer Obligations Under the New Massachusetts PFML Act," June 11, 2019.

For assistance with understanding the law or implementing changes to your policies or procedures, please contact the authors or your Holland & Knight attorney.

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