The Massachusetts Legislature has passed and sent SB 2255 to Governor Baker, officially delaying contribution collection and notice requirements for the state’s paid family and medical leave insurance program by three months. Information regarding the delay can be found on the Department of Family and Medical Leave website by clicking here.
Many companies operating in Massachusetts felt rushed to comply with the state program’s array of requirements, which had a rapidly approaching July 1 launch date. As you may recall, ERIC submitted a comment letter to the Department in late May addressing the short timeline, as well as several pressing concerns with the program’s regulatory development and administrative implementation. This three-month delay was a central focus of ERIC’s paid leave advocacy efforts in Massachusetts and represents a major policy victory for our member companies.
Delay Details: Contributions to the program will now commence on October 1 instead of the original July 1 date. Notably, this bill also delays the notification requirements that employers must provide employees to September 30, just before contributions are set to begin. Employers who acted preemptively and have already met these notice requirements will need to provide a rate update sheet to employees informing them of changes to the timeline and contribution rate made by the legislative delay. The update sheet can be found on the Department’s page by clicking here.
Important Note: Requirements related to the mandatory informational PFML poster were not delayed by this legislation and must be displayed by employers by the original July 1 deadline.
Final Regulations: On June 18, the Department of Family and Medical Leave released the final regulations relating to implementation and administration of the state paid family and medical leave program on June 18.
Article by Dillon Clair, Retirement and Compensation Policy Associate