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Midterms' impact on benefits: Dems controlling more state legislatures and the House could mean new paid family and medical leave laws, according to Sun Life expertsWELLESLEY, Mass., Nov. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- In a legislative webinar post-election yesterday, Sun Life Financial U.S. experts discussed how the midterm elections could affect employee benefits, and explored the growth of new paid leave laws at the federal, state and local levels. Sun Life's Marjory Robertson, senior counsel and a leave compliance expert, and James Slotnick, head of government relations, gave insight into the legislative landscape, particularly in regard to paid leave. "Paid leave is definitely on the rise," said Robertson. "The 2016 election brought it to the national stage. Washington State, Massachusetts and D.C. have passed mandatory paid leave laws, and we expect to see more and more states passing their own leave laws, and are closely watching Connecticut, Colorado, Maine, New Mexico, Oregon and Vermont. We may even see the Democrat-controlled House pass federal paid leave legislation. Employers need to stay updated because these laws increase compliance challenges and will impact the structure of employee benefits, paid time off policies, and short- and long-term disability." Slotnick and Robertson also discussed how opposing majorities in the House and Senate will potentially slow the pace of legislation, and what is next for the Affordable Care Act. "With no support in the House, ACA repeal and replace has no viable path forward for at least the next two years," said Slotnick. "I am watching for the outcome of the state of Texas' ACA lawsuit and whether it makes its way to the Supreme Court. With tax reform reducing the indivdual mandate penalty to $0, it opened the door to argue that the ACA is no longer constitutional. Currently, there are 37 states involved in this lawsuit, and it has the potential to end the law." Other key takeaways from the webinar, according to Slotnick and Robertson:
For the full recording of the legislative update webinar, please contact [email protected]. About Sun Life Financial Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the ticker symbol SLF. In the United States, Sun Life Financial is one of the largest group benefits providers, serving more than 60,000 employers in small, medium and large workplaces across the country. Sun Life's broad portfolio of insurance products and services in the U.S. includes disability, absence management, life, dental, vision, voluntary and stop-loss. For more information, please visit www.sunlife.com/us. Media contact:
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