Senate Bill 1219 (SB1219) allows the Bureau of Insurance (Bureau) to convene a stakeholder group to make recommendations as to statutory changes necessary to permit private insurers to provide family leave coverage in Virginia. The Bureau drafted proposed legislation for the stakeholder group to review and comment upon. The stakeholder group approved the draft legislative proposal, which may be found in Appendix B. The new line of authority allows insurers to write group policies offering paid family leave. The proposed draft legislation closely adheres to the language in the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, ″to eliminate confusion of eligibility, leave time and administration.″(*2)
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(*2) Item #10 of the considerations offered in the “Paid Family and Medical Leave Study" published in September 2020 by the Offices of the Secretary of Commerce and Trade and the Chief Workforce Development Advisor.