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B26-0190 • 2025

Short-Term Disability Insurance Benefit Protection Clarification Emergency Amendment Act of 2025

Short-Term Disability Insurance Benefit Protection Clarification Emergency Amendment Act of 2025

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Lewis George
Last action
2025-04-25
Official status
Enacted
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Short-Term Disability Insurance Benefit Protection Clarification Emergency Amendment Act of 2025

This law stops private disability insurance companies from lowering benefits because a person receives paid leave money from the District of Columbia, even if the policy was written in another state.

What This Bill Does

  • Prohibits insurers from reducing short-term disability payments based on actual or estimated D.C. paid leave benefits.
  • Applies this rule to all policies, regardless of which jurisdiction issued or wrote them.
  • Amends the Universal Paid Leave Amendment Act of 2016 to include these new protections for eligible individuals.
  • Updates the Insurance Trade and Economic Development Amendment Act of 2000 to make this prohibition enforceable.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Private disability insurance providers
  • Individuals who receive short-term disability benefits from private policies
  • People eligible for paid leave benefits under the Universal Paid Leave Amendment Act of 2016

Terms To Know

Offset or reduce
To lower a payment amount by subtracting another benefit from it.
Eligible individual
A person who qualifies for benefits under the Universal Paid Leave Amendment Act of 2016, as defined in that law's Section 101(6).

Limits and Unknowns

  • This act is an emergency measure and remains in effect for no longer than 90 days after approval.
  • The law applies to actions starting from July 10, 2024.

Bill History

  1. 2025-04-25 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Act A26-0051 Published in DC Register Vol 72 and Page 004902, Expires on Jul 21, 2025

  2. 2025-04-22 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Signed by the Mayor and Enacted with Act Number A26-0051, Expires on Jul 21, 2025

  3. 2025-04-22 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Returned from Mayor

  4. 2025-04-07 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Transmitted to Mayor, Response Due on Apr 22, 2025

  5. 2025-04-01 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Retained by the Council

  6. 2025-04-01 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Legislative Meeting

  7. 2025-03-26 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    B26-0190 Introduced by Councilmember Lewis George at Office of the Secretary

Official Summary Text

Short-Term Disability Insurance Benefit Protection Clarification Emergency Amendment Act of 2025

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
ENROLLED ORIGINAL
ANACT
D.C. ACT 26-51
INTHE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICTOF COLUMBIA
APRIL 22, 2025
Toamend,onanemergencybasis,theUniversalPaidLeaveAmendmentActof2016toprohibitprivatedisabilityinsuranceprovidersfromreducingshort-termdisabilitybenefitsbasedonactualorestimatedpaidleavebenefitstowhichaneligibleindividualmaybeentitledtofromtheDistrict,regardlessofthejurisdictioninwhichtheinsurancepolicywasissuedorwritten;andtoamendtheInsuranceTradeandEconomicDevelopmentAmendmentActof2000tomaketheprohibitiononoffsettingorreducingbenefitsunderaprivatemarketshort-termdisabilityinsurancepolicybasedonestimatedoractualbenefitsreceivedundertheUniversalPaidLeaveAmendmentActof2016enforceableunderthatlaw,regardlessofthejurisdictioninwhichtheinsurancepolicywasissuedorwritten.

BEITENACTEDBYTHECOUNCILOFTHEDISTRICTOFCOLUMBIA,Thatthis,actmaybecitedasthe“Short-TermDisabilityInsuranceBenefitProtectionClarificationEmergencyAmendmentActof2025”.
Sec,2.Section107(j(1)of the UniversalPaid Leave Amendment Actof 2016, effective
April7,2017(D.C.Law21-264;D.C.OfficialCode§32-541.07()(1)),isamendedtoreadas
follows:“@)(1)Noinsurermayoffsetorreducebenefitsorincomeavailabletoaneligibleindividualunderanindividualorgrouppolicyfortemporaryo short-termdisabilityinsurancebasedonestimatedoractualbenefitstheeligibleindividualmayordoesreceiveunderthisact,regardlessofthejurisdictioninwhichsuchpolicywasissued,executed,written,ordelivered.”.
Sec.3.Section120atheInsuranceTradeandEconomicDevelopmentAmendmentActof2000,effectiveApril2,2001(D.C.Law13-265;D.C.OfficialCode§31-2231.20a),isamendedasfollows:(a)Subsection(a)isamended to readas follows:
“(a)Noinsurermayoffsetorreducebenefitsorincomeavailabletoaneligibleindividualunderatemporaryorshort-termdisabilityinsurancepolicy,basedonestimatedotactualbenefits
ENROLLED ORIGINAL
theeligibleindividualmayordoesreceiveundertheUniversalPaidLeaveAmendmentActof2016,effectiveApril7,2017(D.C.Law21-264;D.C.OfficialCode§32-541.01etseg.),regardlessofinwhichjurisdictionsuchpolicywasexecuted,written,ordelivered.”(b)Subsection(c)isamendedtoreadasfollows:“(e)Forthepurposesofthissection,theterm:“(1)“Eligibleindividual”shallhavethesamemeaningasprovidedinsection101(6)oftheUniversalPaidLeaveAmendmentActof2016,effectiveApril7,2017(D.C.Law21-264;D.C.OfficialCode§32-541.01(6)).
“(2)“Self-insuredemployer”shallhavethesamemeaningasprovidedinsection101(19A)oftheUniversalPaidLeaveAmendmentActof2016,effectiveApril7,2017(D.C.Law21-264;D.C.OfficialCode§32-541.01(19A)).”.

Sec.4.Applicability.ThisactshallapplyasofJuly10,2024.
Sec,5.Fiscalimpactstatement.
The Counciladoptsthefiscalimpactstatementof theBudget Directoras thefiscalimpact
statementrequiredby section4aof theGeneralLegislativeProceduresAct of 1975,approved
October 16,2006 (120 Stat.2038; D.C. OfficialCode § 1-301.47a).
Sec.6.Effectivedate.‘ThisactshalltakeeffectfollowingapprovalbytheMayor(orintheeventofvetobytheMayor,actionbytheCounciltooverridetheveto),andshallremainineffectfornolongerthan
90days,asprovidedforemergencyactsoftheCounciloftheDistrictofColumbiainsection

ENROLLED ORIGINAL
412(a)oftheDistrictofColumbiaHomeRuleAct,approvedDecember24,1973(87Stat.788;D.C.OfficialCode§1-204.12(a)).
CounciloftheDistrictofColumbia

APPROVED
APRIL 22, 2025

COUNCILOFTHE DISTRICTOF COLUMBIA.
WASHINGTON,DC,20004

[]ITEMONCONSENTCALENDAR
[X1ACTION FinalReading
(X]VOTE DATE April1,2025
[x]VOICEvoTE ‘Approved
RECORDEDVOTEONREQUEST
ABSENT
[JROLLCALLVOTE—Result

[CouncMember |Aye|Nay|NV[AB|Rec|CounciiMemberAye|Nay|NV[AB[Rec|CounciiMember|Aye|Nay[NV|AB
ChairmanMendelson)X Henderson x Pinto
Allen x LewisGeorge_| X R.White
Bonds x McDuffie x
Felder x Nadeau x
Frumin x Parker x
X- IndicateVote AB Absent NV--Present,NotVoting Rec-Recused
CERTIFICATIONRECORD

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