Amidst the slew of poor choices and failed actions that have
characterized Gov. Gray Davis’ term so far, one bill does
stand out as particularly excellent ““ the paid family leave
bill.
Under the new law, which will go into effect July 2004,
employees with an ill family member can request paid time off from
work to attend to their medical supervision needs. Previous to the
passage of this bill, employees could still request time off at the
discretion of their employer but were not guaranteed pay. Now
workers can request up to six weeks off and receive about 55
percent of their regular salary.
The bill works well in that it’s both cost efficient and
protects small businesses. Workers will only be charged about $26 a
year ““ this will go into a general fund, out of which the
workers approved for leave will get paid. Small businesses are
protected from losing hard-to-replace labor ““ those with 50
employees or less are exempt.
This bill will especially benefit those families who cannot
afford to hire full-time nurses to look after their ill family
members. It’s just as important for a mother who has to take
care of her newborn child to have time off as it is for a person
with a child ““ or anyone else in the family ““ who
has contracted a debilitating disease.