Committee adopts substitute and forwards paid family and medical leave change for dock workers to rules

In executive session on Jan. 24 the Senate Labor & Commerce Committee adopted a proposed substitute and recommended that Senate Bill 5191 be sent to the Rules Committee with a due-pass recommendation.

Committee staff Susan Jones described the bill as a change to paid family and medical leave premium collection that would clarify that representatives for employers of dock workers — who often work for multiple employers interchangeably through collective bargaining arrangements — are included in the definition of “employer” for premium collection. Jones said a proposed substitute A, offered by Senator Conway, makes a related title change to refer to paid family and medical leave premium collection for dock workers.

Jones also reported a fiscal estimate attached to the substitute showing cash receipts of $5,000,000 for fiscal years 2025–2029 to the family medical leave account and estimated expenses of $30,000. The fiscal note said some employers would have otherwise qualified not to pay an employer portion of the premium and that these changes account for the projected receipts.

Senator Conway moved adoption of the proposed substitute; the committee voted in favor and the substitute was adopted. Conway then moved that the substitute receive a due-pass recommendation to the Rules Committee; that motion also passed. The committee did not record individual roll-call votes in the hearing record; the committee chair announced the motions carried.

Why it matters: Supporters said the change clarifies premium-collection responsibilities for employers and their representatives in industries where workers move between multiple employers under collective bargaining arrangements; a fiscal estimate attached to the substitute projects modest receipts to the family medical leave account over the covered period.