Alaska: Paid Sick Time
Voters in Alaska approved Ballot Measure No. 1, under which the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development will draft and implement regulations to provide employers with details as they prepare for sick leave accruals, which begin July 1, 2025.
The proposal appears to cover all employers regardless of size but does differentiate between employers with 15 or more employees and those with fewer than 15 employees.
- For those with 15 or more employees, employees shall accrue one hour of sick leave for every 30 hours worked, up to a maximum of 56 hours.
- Those employers with fewer than 15 employees accrue at the same rate, but the maximum balance is 40 hours.
Other than a few exceptions, which appear similar to those of existing sick leave laws in different states and locations, all employees are entitled to sick leave. Similarly, the covered leave reasons appear similar to other sick leave regulations, allowing leave for the employee’s own illness, injury, or health condition to care for a family member and safe leave.
The regulations may provide more guidance, but the proposed law does not mention frontloading. The law does appear to require the carryover of unused hours. Still, it caps the overall balance, and this also caps annual usage at 56 hours (or 40 hours for employers with fewer than 15 employees).
Missouri: Earned Paid Sick Time
After this initial approval by Missouri voters, the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations will be responsible for drafting regulations. The proposal, titled Proposition A, lists a proposed effective date of May 1, 2025.
The proposed law broadly defines employers but excludes public employers. Similarly, a covered employee is broadly defined, with a few common exceptions included in other sick leave mandates. Those eligible employees will accrue one hour of sick leave for every 30 hours worked, and there is currently no cap or limit on accrual.
Covered leave reasons in Missouri appear similar to Alaska: employee’s own illness, injury, or health condition; to care for a family member; and safe leave. However, Missouri’s proposed law also includes the closure of an employee’s business due to a public health emergency, the closure of the employee’s child’s school or daycare for the same reason, and the need to quarantine.
The Missouri law also allows for frontloading of sick leave hours but does not include details about how frontloading will impact the obligation to allow carryover of up to 80 hours of accrued but unused sick leave. Despite the higher balances and carryover, employers can limit usage to 56 hours or 40 hours for employers with fewer than 15 employees.
Nebraska: Healthy Families and Workplaces Act
Nebraskans voted to pass Measure 436, which propels the Nebraska Department of Labor to draft regulations, which will likely require public hearings and other steps before finalization. Employers will need to monitor the status to prepare for sick leave accruals scheduled to begin on October 1, 2025.
All private Nebraska employers are covered under the proposed law, which also broadly defines employees as anyone who works 80 or more hours within the state per calendar year. All eligible employees will accrue one hour of sick leave for every 30 hours worked, up to the maximum of 56 hours or 40 hours for employees of a small business, defined as any business with fewer than 20 full-time, part-time, and temporary employees.
The proposed law covers leave for absences due to the employee’s own illness, injury, or health condition; to care for a family member; and the closure of an employee’s business due to a public health emergency, closure of the employee’s child’s school or daycare for the same reason, and the need to quarantine.
Like Missouri, Nebraska will allow employers to frontload sick leave hours but does not include details about how frontloading will impact the obligation to allow carryover of accrued but unused sick leave. There is no mention of a limit on carryover or a maximum balance, but employers can limit usage to align with the maximum annual accruals.