Meeting only twice, the Paid Family Medical Leave conference committee met quickly last Friday and Saturday to iron out the differences between the House and Senate bills. On Saturday afternoon, the committee adopted the conference report with the following key provisions:

• 20 weeks of paid family or medical leave total. 
• 0.7% premium of employee wages will fund the program; half paid by the employee and half paid by the employer.  
• Seasonal employee exemption for hospitality employees under 150 days, with new formula constraints. Read amendment here. 
• Small business assistance grants for employer with 30 or fewer employees and less than $3M in annual revenue of up to $3,000 to hire temporary worker or increase wages when an employee is on leave for the program. 
• Program benefits and premium payments will begin January 1, 2026. 

The Senate is expected to vote on the bill later, with it moving to the House and Governor’s desk later this week.