|
2002 California Legislative
Agenda
Governor Davis Signs
Paid Family Leave Bill in California
On Monday, September
23, 2002 Governor Davis signed a bill establishing paid family
leave in California. California is the first state in
the nation to provide six weeks of paid leave to workers who
take time off to care for a new child or seriously ill child,
spouse, parent, or domestic partner. Equal Rights Advocates
has been instrumental in getting this law passed.
SB 1661 creates the Family Temporary Disability
Insurance program that will be funded by employees through
the State Disability Insurance system. Key provisions of the
bill include:
-
The program will be funded through employee
contributions. A minimum wage earner will pay an additional
$11.23 a year into SDI, while the estimated average cost
is $27 per worker per year.
-
Payments are capped at six weeks over
a 12-month period and at 55 percent of wages, up to an
annually-adjusted maximum of $728 a week.
- Employees will began paying into the fund January 1, 2004
and can began taking leave July 1, 2004.
The federal Family
and Medical Leave Act and the California Family Rights Act
entitle covered workers to only unpaid leave, a right many
workers cannot afford to exercise. A 2000 survey by the U.S.
Department of Labor reported that 78% of eligible employees
who needed family or medical leave but did not take it cited
being unable to afford unpaid leave. This bill provides
vital monetary benefits to California workers so that they
do not have to choose between caring for an ill family member
and going without pay.
10
Facts on the Bill (California Labor Federation AFL-CIO)
California
Paid Family Leave Coalition
National
Campaign for Family Leave Benefits (Lead by National Partnership
for Women and Families)
2001
Legislative Highlights 2000
Legislative Highlights
|
