Paid Sick Leave in the Nation's Capital

Washington, D.C. is poised to join San Francisco and New Jersey  in requiring employers to provide paid sick leave benefits to employees, but an internal inconsistency in the new D.C. law may make implementation by employers difficult. 

The Accrued Sick and Safe Leave Act of 2008 (ASSLA), passed by the D.C. Council and approved by Mayor Adrian Fenty in March 2008, was approved by Congress on May 13, 2008.  The ASSLA requires that employers in the District of Columbia provide paid leave to employees for illness and for absences associated with domestic violence or sexual abuse.  In the attached article we describe the new law's major provisions and discuss the effective date.