It’s Official: Governor Signs Paid Sick Leave
On September 28, 2017 Governor Gina Raimondo signed into law the paid sick leave bill passed by the General Assembly in a special session earlier this month. If you are a business in Rhode Island with 18 or more employees, beginning July 2018, workers will able to take up to three earned sick days, phasing up to four in 2019 and five starting Jan 1, 2020. Sick days also cover “safe time” for those experiencing domestic violence. Businesses with 17 or less employees are not required to provide sick time, but to have to offer sick leave without employees facing adverse consequences. It was reported that the new Healthy and Safe Families and Workplace Act will guarantee earned paid sick time to more than 100,000 RI workers.