Articles Posted in Earned Sick Leave Law

On January 17, 2026, Governor Phil Murphy signed Assembly Bill A3451/Senate Bill S2950 — Expanded Family Leave Eligibility, enacting a historic expansion of the New Jersey Family Leave Act (NJFLA). This is a game-changing victory for employees who, until now, may have been unprotected.

Expanding Employee Eligibility

A major exception in the NJFLA previously left workers at smaller companies and those who have been with their company for less than one year unprotected. Effective July 17, 2026, the law will apply to all employers with 15 or more employees, significantly expanding the pool of eligible New Jersey workers. Furthermore, under the new bill, New Jersey employees will no longer have to wait a full year for their protected leave rights to kick in; eligibility will now begin after just three months on the job and 250 base hours worked during the immediately preceding twelve-month period.