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CHAIRMAN PHIL MENDELSON
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
ANNOUNCES A PUBLIC HEARING
on
Bill 21-415, Universal Paid Leave Act of 2015
on
Thursday, January 14, 2016
10:00 a.m., Council Chambers, John A. Wilson Building
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20004
Council Chairman Phil Mendelson announces a public hearing before the Committee of the Whole on Bill 21-415, the “Universal Paid Leave Act of 2015.” The hearing will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 14, 2016 in Hearing Room 500, the Council Chambers, of the John A. Wilson Building.
The stated purpose of Bill 21-415 is to establish a universal paid leave system for all District residents and for workers who are employed in the District of Columbia. Specifically, the bill allows for 16 weeks of paid family or self-care leave and also amends the D.C. Family and Medical Leave Act of 1990 to extend job protections to individuals who have been employed for six months and worked at least 500 hours in a 12-month period. Currently, the law requires an individual to be employed for at least one year and to have worked at least 1,000 hours in a 12-month period.
The purpose of this hearing to receive testimony from national experts and D.C. government witnesses as to the benefits and drawbacks of the proposed legislation. Thus, this hearing will be limited to those invited to testify. A third hearing on this legislation is scheduled for February 11, 2016 at 4:00 p.m. in Room 500 of the John A. Wilson Building, and that hearing will be open to anyone wishing to testify on the bill.
While this hearing is limited to oral testimony from invited witnesses, written statements from the public will be made a part of the official record. Copies of written statements should be submitted to the Committee of the Whole, Council of the District of Columbia, Suite 410 of the John A. Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20004. Questions about this or the subsequent hearing should be directed to Christina Setlow, Deputy Committee Director, at 724-4865. The record will close on a date to be announced in the notice of the final hearing on Bill 21-415.
