SENATE APPROVES PAID FAMILY LEAVE LEGISLATION

A measure sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Steve Sweeney and Senator Barbara Buono which would provide paid family leave benefits for workers caring for sick family members and newborn or newly adopted children was approved by the full Senate by a vote of 22 to 16.
     
The Senators' bill, S786, would authorize up to six weeks of employee paid family leave (family temporary disability leave) during any 12 month period, during which an employee could take time off to care for an ill family member, or a newborn or recently adopted child. Employees would receive two-thirds of their weekly salary, up to $524 per week. Workers would have to exhaust maternity and disability leave time prior to being eligible for paid family leave. Workers would also have to use at least two weeks of sick leave and vacation time before using paid family leave time, according to the bill.

Workers seeking leave time would be required to provide their employers with prior notice of the need for leave time, along with a doctor's note listing details of the need for the time off.

Beginning next January 1, employees would be required to contribute 0.14% of their earned wages to the State Disability Fund, which would then deposit the money into a fund reserved exclusively for the Family Leave program. In 2010, the percentage would increase to 0.18%, which equates to a maximum employee contribution of about $33 a year. For someone making minimum wage, the employee contribution would equal roughly 25 cents a week. 

This legislation now heads to the Assembly for approval.