House adopts paid family and medical leave conference report amid sharp floor exchange

Delegate Soul presented the conference report for House Bill 1207, saying it would establish a paid family and medical leave program providing up to 12 weeks of paid leave for workers caring for a loved one, welcoming a new baby, or recovering from serious illness or injury.

“Paid leave helps businesses attract and retain talent,” Delegate Soul said, and the conference report reverts to the House’s original definition of employer.

Delegate Williams opposed the conference report in a forceful floor speech, calling the program a permanent mandatory payroll deduction that will create a new ongoing cost for every employer and employee in the Commonwealth. Williams urged members to consider the immediate and long-term payroll impacts, saying the program would not pay benefits for three years while a new administrative structure is built.

The House adopted the conference report by recorded voice vote, announced as 62 yes and 33 no.

Both House Bill 1207 and the Senate cognate, SB 2, were described on the floor as reverting to the House’s employer definition in the conference text. The body moved on after the vote and continued processing additional conference reports on the printed calendar.