On January 1, 2019, San Antonio’s mandatory sick leave ordinance went into effect, except for Section 2 of the law, which contains the heart of the law, including the requirement that employers of various sizes to start providing paid sick leave to employees as early as August 1, 2019.
San Antonio passed its sick leave ordinance in August 2018, months after Austin passed a similar ordinance. Austin’s ordinance has been challenged by organizations like the Texas Association of Business as pre-empted by the Texas minimum wage law, and the court of appeals in Austin has agreed with the argument and prevented the law from going into effect. The City of Austin has until later in January to ask the Texas Supreme Court to review the decision.
As the August effective date draws closer, the San Antonio ordinance may well face a challenge similar to the one faced by the Austin ordinance. For now, observers will see whether Texas Supreme Court agrees to review the Austin ordinance.