Virginians will soon have access to paid family leave. But, what happens to a bill that would implement paid sick leave is up to the governor.
Senator Jennifer Boysko is a Democrat from Herndon who has been trying to pass a bill creating paid family and medical leave for eight years. This year, it's finally happening, although Governor Abigail Spanberger made some changes lawmakers accepted this week. One of them has to do with how long some people can take advantage of the new program.
"In a domestic violence, unsafe situation, an individual under our bill would be able to take 12 weeks off to take care of themselves," Boysko says. "When the governor looked across the country at other policies for paid family and medical leave that include a safety leave proponent, there was only four weeks granted."
That amendment was accepted, but lawmakers rejected an amendment on a separate bill requiring employers to offer paid sick days. The governor's amendment would have created an exemption for pilots and flight crew. So now, the governor is reconsidering the previous, un-amended version of the bill, which was introduced by Senator Barbara Favola, a Democrat from Arlington.
"I would say to the governor that most of her amendments can probably be done through regulation," Favola says. "And I would say that the pilots and the flight crew deserve the protection of this bill."
The governor now has a decision to make about paid sick days: sign the bill, veto it or allow it to become law without her signature.
