Paid Leave Reintroduced

January 24, 2022

The General Assembly has returned to session and will consider a range of employer/employee-related proposals, the spending of record amounts of money, and more. One proposal that needs your attention is the proposed Paid Family and Medical Leave Act offered by Senator Sarah McBride. This proposal has undergone substantial revisions after comments were offered from many different audiences, including the State Chamber. Senator McBride introduced the latest revision to SB 1 today >

A hearing is scheduled for this Wednesday. This is a very complicated proposal that we will work over the next two days to collect your feedback and develop an analysis so we can provide comments on your behalf. You can attend the meeting with us by signing up here >

This bill would allow workers at companies with 10 or more employees to be eligible for 12 weeks of paid parental leave and companies with 25 or more to be eligible for up to 6 weeks of paid family caregiving and medical leave. Under current law, small businesses (50 or fewer employees) are exempt from the 1993 Federal FMLA law. This state proposal, if enacted, would impact businesses large and small in Delaware. We encourage you to look this revised bill over carefully, and email or call your state senator or representatives with feedback. Tyler Micik of our team is here to help you connect with members of the General Assembly and also listen to your feedback on this bill. Email Tyler >

Your input will be valuable as we review this new version of the bill.

Uniquely Delaware

Delaware’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in December 2021 was 5.0%, down from 5.1% in November 2021. There were 24,600 unemployed Delawareans in December 2021 compared to 28,200 in December 2020. The US unemployment rate was 3.9% in December 2021, down from 4.2% in November 2021. In December 2020, the US unemployment rate was 6.7%, while Delaware’s rate was 5.9%. Download the report >

News You Can Use

In economic news this week, the S&P Case-Shiller national home index for November prices is released on Tuesday. December new home sales and housing starts is made public on Wednesday. Fed Chair Jerome Powell hosts a news conference Wednesday afternoon. Thursday brings us 2021 Q4 GDP results and December durable goods orders. Lots of inflation data on Friday, along with real disposable income data, real consumer spending data, consumer sentiment, and personal income figures from December.

Companies with earnings calls this week include Halliburton and Zions Bank on Monday. 3M, American Express, Capital One, GE, Hyundai Motors, Johnson & Johnson, Navient, Raytheon Technologies, and Microsoft host calls on Tuesday. Intel and Tesla headline calls on Wednesday and are joined by Abbott Laboratories, AT&T, Boeing, Levi Strauss, Norfolk Southern, and SLM. Apple, Comcast, Mastercard, McDonald’s, Valero Energy, and Visa all host calls on Thursday. We wrap up on Friday with Caterpillar, Weyerhaeuser, and Colgate-Palmolive.

Michael J. Quaranta

President

Delaware State Chamber of Commerce

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