An Act To Amend the Family Medical Leave Laws
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 26 MRSA §843, sub-§4, as amended by PL 2001, c. 684, §§1 to 3, is further amended to read:
4. Family medical leave. "Family medical leave" means leave requested by an employee for:
A. Serious health condition of the employee;
B. The birth of the employee's child or the employee's domestic partner's child;
C. The placement of a child 16 years of age or less with the employee or with the employee's domestic partner in connection with the adoption of the child by the employee or the employee's domestic partner;
D. A child, domestic partner's child, parent , domestic partner or spouse with a serious health condition; or
E. The donation of an organ of that employee for a human organ transplant.
Sec. 2. 26 MRSA §843, sub-§7 is enacted to read:
7. Domestic partner. "Domestic partner" means the partner of an employee who:
A. Is a mentally competent adult as is the employee;
B. Has been legally domiciled with the employee for at least 12 months;
C. Is not legally married to or legally separated from another individual;
D. Is the sole partner of the employee and expects to remain so; and
E. Is jointly responsible with the employee for each other's common welfare as evidenced by joint living arrangements, joint financial arrangements or joint ownership of real or personal property.
summary
This bill adds domestic partners to the list of family members that employees may use family medical leave to take care of. It also adds a definition for domestic partner.