• New state laws in Alaska, California, Connecticut, Delaware, and Washington require employers to give employees time off after being the target of a violent crime.
• The safe leave laws apply to victims of violent crimes, such as domestic violence, rape, and sexual assault.
• Employees typically can use safe leave to obtain medical care, seek psychological counseling, access social services, procure legal services, participate in legal proceedings, or secure safe housing.

Alaska’s sick and safe leave law provides paid time off for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Employers with fifteen or more employees must provide fifty-six hours per year of paid leave, and employers with fewer than fifteen employees must provide forty hours per year of paid leave. The law took effect on July 1, 2025.

If the time off amounts to more than three consecutive workdays, the employer may require the employee to submit documentation, such as a police report or a court document indicating relevant legal action.

California’s sick and safe leave law prohibits employers from discriminating or retaliating against employees for taking time off to appear in judicial proceedings or obtain relief after being a target of a “qualifying act of violence,” including domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, or bodily injury from a gun or other dangerous weapon. Qualifying employees can take up to forty hours of paid safe leave per year.

The law took effect on January 1, 2025. It...

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