Senate committee advances amendment to expand bereavement and safe-leave uses in H.461 amid small-business concerns

At a meeting of the Senate Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs Committee, members considered a draft amendment to H.461 that would add a new safe-leave subsection to allow leave to respond to a fatality or near fatality related to domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking, and would specify how bereavement leave may be taken.

The change "is just we've added in another subsection into the safe leave provision, and it reads to respond to a fatality or near fatality related to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Right. Either for themselves or for a family member," Sophie Sedatny, legislative counsel, Office of Legislative Council, told the committee.

The amendment (described in the meeting as version 4.1 and proposed as draft 5) adds the new item as a romanette under the safe-leave list, and inserts bereavement-use language into section 472(a)(2). The bill text described in the meeting would permit two weeks of bereavement leave…