Washington, D.C. — National data show that 47.3 percent of women and 44.2 percent of men report experiencing “contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking” from an intimate partner at some point in their lives. As domestic and sexual violence touches every corner of the country, states and cities have stepped up by passing safe leave protections that guarantee workers the right to time off from work to address needs in response to violence.
A new Center for American Progress issue brief details the latest developments in 2024 and 2025, with state laws providing new and expanded safe leave rights:
- Alaska: Passed by ballot initiative, workers will begin earning and using paid sick and safe time on July 1, 2025.
- Missouri: Passed by ballot initiative, workers will begin earning and using paid sick and safe time on May 1, 2025.
- Michigan: Building on Michigan’s existing paid sick and safe time law, this law now applies to employers regardless of size, with workers able to accrue sick and safe leave more quickly than before.
- Connecticut: Expanding on its paid sick and safe time law, Connecticut’s updated law now guarantees paid sick and safe time rights to nearly all employers with at least 25 employees starting in 2025. It will further expand to cover employers with as few as 11 employees in 2026 and employees of all sizes starting in 2027.
- California: Under the state’s existing paid sick and safe time law, paid leave can now be used for a broader range of needs and by those experiencing more kinds of violence, as well as to support loved ones experiencing violence.
“When any workers or their loved ones are facing the impacts of violence, they deserve the ability to pursue safety without putting their job on the line,” said Molly Weston Williamson, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and author of the issue brief. “These actions make it clear that local and state policymakers are stepping up to ensure survivors of violence have access to the resources and time needed to protect and care for themselves and their loved ones.”
For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Sarah Nadeau at [email protected].