Establish requirement for paid sick days
HB 297 would create the “Healthy Families and Workplaces Act,” establishing a statewide paid sick leave requirement for Montana employers with 10 or more employees. Covered employers would have to provide at least one hour of paid sick leave for every 40 hours worked, up to 80 hours per year, with up to 40 hours able to carry forward into the next year. Employers could satisfy the requirement with an existing paid leave policy if it meets the bill’s accrual and use standards, and they could also provide more generous leave than the minimum required.
The bill specifies broad permitted uses for paid sick leave, including an employee’s own illness or preventive care, care for a family member, and leave related to domestic violence, sexual assault, or harassment. It also requires employer notice to workers, recordkeeping, confidentiality protections for health and safety information, and anti-retaliation safeguards. Enforcement would be handled by the Department of Labor and Industry, with violations treated as wage claims and subject to investigation, administrative remedies, and possible court enforcement. The bill also includes exceptions and accommodations for certain collective bargaining agreements and multiemployer plans, and it would apply prospectively to conduct occurring on or after the effective date.
HB 297 would add a new paid sick leave mandate to Montana law and direct that the new provisions be codified within Title 39, making them part of the state’s labor and employment framework. It would impose new obligations on employers with 10 or more employees, create new employee rights to accrue and use paid sick leave, and authorize the Department of Labor and Industry to adopt rules and enforce compliance. The bill would also affect employer recordkeeping, workplace policies, confidentiality practices, and retaliation standards, while preserving more protective local, contractual, or employer-provided leave arrangements.
The available voting history suggests the bill received support in the House Business and Labor Committee at least on the motion to table, with a unanimous 20-0 vote recorded in the context provided. However, the bill ultimately died in process, indicating that despite committee-level procedural support, it did not advance to enactment. No committee transcript is available here, so the broader discussion record is limited, but the bill’s subject matter suggests it was framed as a worker-protection and public-health measure.
The main points of contention are likely to have centered on whether Montana should impose a statewide paid sick leave mandate on private employers, particularly the threshold of 10 or more employees and the administrative and cost burdens associated with accrual, recordkeeping, and enforcement. Another likely area of debate is the scope of protected uses, especially leave tied to domestic violence, sexual assault, harassment, and family care, as well as the bill’s anti-retaliation provisions and confidentiality requirements. The collective bargaining exceptions and the ability of existing paid leave policies to satisfy the mandate may have been important to employers and labor groups alike, with supporters emphasizing worker health and stability and opponents likely focusing on flexibility and business impact.