Text of AZ HB 2741 (2010)

REFERENCE TITLE: paid sick and safe time State of Arizona House of Representatives Forty-ninth Legislature Second Regular Session 2010 HB 2741 Introduced by Representatives Tovar, Ableser, Garcia M, Sinema: Farley, Heinz, Miranda B, Pancrazi, Quelland AN ACT amending title 23, chapter 2, Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding article 8.1; relating to paid sick and safe time leave. (TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE) Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona: Section 1. Title 23, chapter 2, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding article 8.1, to read: ARTICLE 8.1. PAID SICK AND SAFE TIME LEAVE START_STATUTE23-371. Definitions In this article, unless the context otherwise requires: 1. "Commission" means the industrial commission of Arizona. 2. "Domestic violence" has the same meaning prescribed in section 13‑3601. 3. "Employee" has the same meaning prescribed in section 23-362. 4. "Employer" has the same meaning prescribed in section 23-362. 5. "Family member" means: (a) A biological, adopted or foster child, a stepchild or legal ward, a child of a domestic partner or a child for whom the employee serves as a temporary guardian. (b) A biological, foster or adoptive parent or legal guardian of the employee or the employee's spouse or domestic partner, a stepparent of the employee or the employee's spouse or domestic partner or a person who was a temporary guardian of the employee when the employee was a minor. (c) The spouse or domestic partner of the employee. (d) A grandparent or a spouse or domestic partner of a grandparent. (e) A biological, foster or adopted sibling or a spouse or domestic partner of a biological, foster or adopted sibling. (f) A grandchild. (g) Any other individual related by blood or affinity whose close association with the employee is the equivalent of a family relationship. 6. "Health professional" has the same meaning prescribed in section 32-3201. 7. "Paid sick and safe time" means time that is provided by an employer to an employee for the purposes described in section 23-373. 8. "Retaliatory personnel action" means the discharge, suspension or demotion by an employer of an employee or any other adverse action taken by an employer against an employee and includes any sanctions against a recipient of public benefits. 9. "Sexual assault" means the intentional or knowing engaging in sexual intercourse or oral sexual contact with any person without consent of that person as prohibited by section 13-1406. 10. "Small business" means a business that qualifies as a small business pursuant to section 23-379. 11. "Stalking" means a violation of section 13-2923. END_STATUTE START_STATUTE23-372. Accrual of paid sick or safe time A. An employee who works in this state for more than ____ hours in a year is entitled to paid sick and safe time as provided in this section. B. An employee accrues a minimum of one hour of paid sick and safe time for every _____ hours worked. An employee may not accrue more than ____ hours of paid sick and safe time in a calendar year, unless the employer selects a higher limit. C. An employee of a small business may not accrue more than __ hours of paid sick and safe time in a calendar year, unless the employer selects a higher limit. D. An employee who is exempt from overtime requirements under 29 United States Code section 213(a)(1) is assumed to work forty hours in each work week for the purposes of paid sick and safe time accrual, unless the employee's normal work week is fewer than forty hours. If the employee's work week is fewer than forty hours, paid sick and safe time accrues based on the number of hours actually worked. E. Paid sick and safe time begins to accrue at the commencement of employment. F. An employee may use accrued paid sick and safe time beginning on the ____ calendar day after commencement of employment. After the _____ calendar day of employment, an employee may use paid sick and safe time as it is accrued. G. Paid sick and safe time shall be carried over to the following calendar year, except that an employee of a small business may not use more than _____ hours of paid sick and safe time in a calendar year and an employee of any other business may not use more than _____ hours of paid sick and safe time in a calendar year. H. If an employer provides a paid leave that meets the accrual requirements of this section and that may be used for the same purposes and under the same conditions as prescribed in this section, the employer is not required to provide additional paid sick and safe time. I. This section does not require financial or other reimbursement to an employee from an employer for accrued paid sick and safe time on the employee's termination, resignation, retirement or other separation from employment. J. If an employee is transferred to a separate division, entity or location, but remains employed by the same employer, the employee is entitled to use all unused paid sick and safe time accrued while working at the prior division, entity or location. If there is a separation from employment and the employee is rehired within _____ months of separation by the same employer, previously accrued paid sick and safe time that had not been used shall be reinstated. The employee may use accrued paid sick and safe time and accrue additional paid sick and safe time at the commencement of the reemployment. K. The employer may lend paid sick and safe time to the employee in advance of accrual of the time by the employee. L. This article shall not be construed: 1. To discourage or prohibit an employer from the adoption or retention of a paid leave policy that is more generous than the paid sick and safe time policy. 2. As diminishing the obligation of an employer to comply with any contract, collective bargaining agreement, employment benefit plan or other agreement providing more generous sick and safe time leave to an employee than required in this article. 3. As diminishing the rights of public employees regarding paid sick and safe time or use of paid sick and safe time as otherwise provided by law. 4. To preempt, limit or otherwise affect the applicability of any other law, regulation, requirement, policy or standard that provides for greater accrual or use by employees of sick and safe time, whether paid or unpaid, or that extends other protections to employees. END_STATUTE START_STATUTE23-373. Use of paid sick or safe time A. An employer shall provide an employee paid sick and safe time for any of the following: 1. An employee's: (a) Mental or physical illness, injury or health condition. (b) Need for medical diagnosis, care or treatment of a mental or physical illness, injury or health condition. (c) Need for preventive medical care. 2. Care of a family member: (a) With a mental or physical illness, injury or health condition. (b) Who needs medical diagnosis, care or treatment of a mental or physical illness, injury or health condition. (c) Who needs preventive medical care. 3. Closure of the employee's place of business by order of a public official due to a public health emergency. 4. An employee's need to care for a child whose school or place of care has been closed by order of a public official due to a public health emergency. 5. An employee's need to care for a family member if it has been determined by the health authorities having jurisdiction or by a health care provider that the family member's presence in the community would jeopardize the health of others because of the family member's exposure to a communicable disease, whether the family member has actually contracted the communicable disease. 6. Absence necessary due to domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking, if the leave is to do any of the following: (a) Seek medical attention for the employee or employee's child, spouse, parent, grandparent or extended family member to recover from physical or psychological injury or disability caused by domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking. (b) Obtain services from a victim services organization. (c) Obtain psychological or other counseling. (d) Seek relocation due to the domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking. (e) Take legal action, including preparing for or participating in any civil or criminal legal proceeding related to or resulting from the domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking. B. The employer shall provide Paid sick and safe time on the oral request of an employee. If possible, the employee shall include in the request the expected duration of the absence. C. If the use of paid sick and safe time is foreseeable, the employee shall do both of the following: 1. Make a good faith effort to provide notice of the need for the time to the employer in advance of the use of the paid sick and safe time. 2. Make a reasonable effort to schedule the use of paid sick and safe time in a manner that does not unduly disrupt the operations of the employer. D. Paid sick and safe time shall be compensated at the same hourly rate and with the same benefits, including health care benefits, as the employee normally earns during hours worked, except that the hourly wage shall not be less than that prescribed in section 23-363. E. Accrued paid sick and safe time may be used in the smaller of hourly increments or the smallest increment that the employer's payroll system uses to account for absences or use of other time. F. For paid sick and safe time of more than three consecutive days, an employer may require reasonable documentation that the paid sick and safe time is for a purpose prescribed by subsection A of this section. Reasonable documentation includes: 1. Documentation signed by a heath care professional indicating that sick time is necessary. 2. A police report indicating that the employee was a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking. 3. A court order or a signed statement from a victim and witness advocate affirming that the employee is involved in legal action related to domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking. G. An employer may not require that the documentation explain the nature of the illness or the details of the violence. If an employer chooses to require documentation for sick time and the employee does not have health insurance, the employer is responsible for paying all of out of pocket expenses the employee incurs in obtaining the documentation. If the employee does have health insurance, the employer is responsible for paying any costs charged to the employee by the health care provider for providing the specific documentation required by the employer. H. An employer may not require, as a condition of providing paid sick and safe time that the employee search for or find a replacement worker to cover the hours during which the employee is on paid sick and safe time. END_STATUTE START_STATUTE23-374. Protection of rights; retaliation prohibition A. It is unlawful for an employer or any other person to interfere with, restrain or deny the exercise of, or the attempt to exercise, any right provided under this article. B. An employer shall not take retaliatory personnel action or discriminate against an employee because the employee has exercised rights provided under this article. These rights include the right to: 1. Use paid sick and safe time. 2. File a complaint or inform any person about any employer's alleged violation of this article. 3. Cooperate with the commission in its investigations of alleged violations of this article. 4. Inform any person of potential rights under this section. C. It is unlawful for an employer to count paid sick and safe time taken as an absence that may result in discipline, discharge, demotion, suspension or any other adverse action. D. The protections of this section apply to any person who alleges violations of this section in good faith, even if the allegations are in error. E. A rebuttable presumption of unlawful retaliation exists if an employer takes adverse action against a person within ninety days after that person does any of the following: 1. Files a complaint with the commission or a court alleging a violation of this section. 2. Informs any person about an employer's alleged violation of this section. 3. Cooperates with the commission or other persons in the investigation or prosecution of any alleged violation of this section. 4. Opposes any policy, practice or act that is unlawful under this section. 5. Informs any person of the rights under this section. END_STATUTE START_STATUTE23-375. Notice and posting; civil penalty A. An Employer shall give notice as PROVIDED in this section that states all of the following: 1. Employees are entitled to paid sick and safe time, the amount of paid sick and safe time and the terms of its use guaranteed under this article. 2. Retaliation against employees who request or use paid sick and safe time is prohibited. 3. Each employee may file a complaint or bring a civil action if paid sick and safe time is denied by the employer or the employee is retaliated against for requesting or taking paid sick and safe time. B. An Employer may comply with this section by supplying each employee with a notice that contains in English and in any language that is the first language spoken by at least five per cent of the employer's workforce the information required in subsection A. C. An Employer may comply with this section by displaying a poster in a conspicuous and accessible place in each establishment where employees are employed that contains in English and in any language that is the first language spoken by at least five per cent of the employer's workforce the information required in subsection A. D. The commission shall create and make available to employers posters that contain the information required under subsection A for their use in complying with this section. E. An employer who wilfully violates the notice and posting requirements of this section is subject to a civil penalty in an amount not to exceed one hundred dollars for each separate violation. END_STATUTE START_STATUTE23-376. Employer records A. An Employer shall retain records documenting hours worked by employees and paid sick and safe time taken by employees for a period of at least five years and shall allow the commission access to these records, with appropriate notice and at a mutually agreeable time, to monitor compliance with the requirements of this Article. B. An employer is presumed to have violated this article, absent clear and convincing evidence to the contrary, if the employer does either of the following: 1. Fails to maintain or retain adequate records documenting hours worked by the employee and paid sick and safe time taken by the employee. 2. Does not allow the commission reasonable access to these records. END_STATUTE START_STATUTE23-377. Enforcement A. The commission shall implement and enforce this article and shall adopt rules for these purposes. B. An employee or other person may report to the commission any suspected violation of this Article. The commission shall keep confidential the name and other identifying information of the employee or person reporting the violation, except that the commission may disclose this information as authorized by the employee or other person as necessary to enforce this section or for other appropriate purposes. END_STATUTE START_STATUTE23-378. Confidentiality A. An employer may not require disclosure of details relating to domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking or the details of an employee's medical condition as a condition of receiving paid sick and safe time leave. B. If an employer possesses health information or information relating to domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking about an employee or employee's family member, this information shall be treated as confidential and shall not be disclosed except to the affected employee or with the permission of the affected employee. END_STATUTE START_STATUTE23-379. Determination of small business A. A small business is any private individual, firm, partnership, institution, corporation or association for which fewer than ____ persons work for compensation during a given week. B. In determining the number of persons performing work for compensation during a given week, all persons performing work for compensation on a full-time, part-time or temporary basis are counted, including persons made available to work through the services of a temporary services or staffing agency or similar entity. If the number of persons who work for compensation per week fluctuates above and below ____ persons per week over the course of a year, an employer is not considered a small business if it maintained ______ or more persons on the payroll during twenty or more calendar workweeks in either the current or the preceding calendar year. END_STATUTE Sec. 2. Effect on existing collective bargaining agreements If an employer and employees have a collective bargaining agreement in effect on the effective date of this act, this act applies to that employer and employees on the termination of the collective bargaining agreement.