The Westchester County executive has signed a law that grants victims of domestic violence or human trafficking paid leave from their jobs to address their situations.
Democratic County Executive George Latimer on Friday signed the 'Safe Leave' For Domestic Violence Victims bill into law. The measure grants victims of domestic violence or human trafficking up to 40 hours of paid leave to attend or testify in court proceedings related to their situations, to move from an abuser’s residence or to speak with lawyers or other advisers.
“But this is a major step forward for people who are victims of domestic violence to be able to get the support that they need in order to deal with that victimization and to know they won’t be necessarily sacrificing their employment in the process of doing that,” says Latimer.
Latimer says employers may ask for reasonable documentation that ‘safe time’ has been used for these purposes.
