The Indiana Legislature has passed a bill prohibiting local government units from requiring  private sector employers to provide employees “an attendance or leave policy”… “that exceeds the requirements of federal or state law, rules, or regulations.” A sponsor of SB 213 said its goal was to prevent a “hodge-podge” of different employment benefits and laws around the state. The bill is heading to Governor Pence’s desk for signature.

The Indiana Legislature’s action comes at a time when a growing number of cities are considering and passing paid sick leave laws. Portland, OR recently enacted such a law.

In our previous post, we noted that in 2011, Wisconsin became the first state to pass a law preempting local laws providing family and medical leave. Governor Scott Walker said the state needed to avoid a “patchwork” of different leave requirements in different parts of the state.

With more than 450 federal, state and local attendance and leave laws nationwide, the terms “patchwork” and “hodge-podge” understate the challenge facing multi-state employers in managing employee attendance and leave.