Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, together with state house and senate leadership, have agreed to delay by three months the start of required employer contributions to the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave program. In a joint release, the leaders stated:

“To ensure that businesses have adequate time to implement the state’s Paid Family and Medical Leave program, the House, Senate, and Administration have agreed to adopt a three-month delay to the start of the required contributions to the program. We will also adopt technical changes to clarify program design. We look forward to the successful implementation of this program this fall.”

Subsequent to the joint statement, the Senate passed an emergency bill instituting that delay. While the bill will need both House approval and Gov. Baker’s signature for the delay to become effective, we expect the bill to pass without any hurdles. This announcement is welcome news for employers rushing to comply with the previously-established July 1 contribution start date. Instead, employers now will not have to make the required contributions until October 1.