An Act relative to employee leave of absence to appear in probate and family court

This bill creates a new right for employees in Massachusetts to take unpaid leave to appear in Probate and Family Court for matters related to their roles as parents or legal guardians, such as divorce or custody cases. Under the law, workers can use their existing paid vacation, personal, or sick leave to cover this time, but employers are not required to provide additional paid leave if they do not normally offer it. Employees must give their employer at least seven days' notice if the need for leave is foreseeable, or as soon as possible if it is unexpected, and may request the leave intermittently. To ensure the request is valid, employers can ask for a certification from the attorney general, and the attorney general is responsible for enforcing the rule.