DC mayor lets 8-week paid family leave bill take effect

WASHINGTON — More than a half-million workers in the nation’s capital will get up to eight weeks of paid family leave under a law that Mayor Muriel Bowser has allowed to take effect without her signature.

Bowser joined many leaders in the business community in opposing the bill, calling it a burden on businesses because it imposes a new tax. She also spoke out against the fact that benefits would be available to people who work in the District but live elsewhere.

“It is wrong to raise District taxes to fund a costly, new government program that sends 66 percent of the benefits outside of the city, and leaves District families behind,” she said in a statement in December, when the D.C. Council gave its final approval.

On Wednesday, Bowser wrote a letter to the council saying she would not veto the bill and hopes to work with lawmakers to address its shortcomings.

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