California families will get to enjoy expanded benefits for paid leaves. Gov. Jerry Brown has signed the bill into a law Monday, which effectively increases the compensation workers receive if they avail of the Family Leave.
"This bill allows more parents the opportunity to spend time talking, reading, and singing to their children in those first key months, setting their children on a positive life path," said George Halvorson, the chairman of the First 5 California Commission, per a press release.
By signing AB 908, the state has increased Paid Family Leave (PFL) wages to 70 percent for low-income workers and 60 percent for average to high-income workers. The new law replaces a previous provision where parents are allowed to take additional family leaves without pay for one week.
Paid Family Leave Expanded Benefits Takes Effect In 2018
Per ABC 10, the new law will be implemented effective Jan. 1, 2018 and it will also cover situations where parents have to take off from work to care for sick family members. "We want to do as much as we can, in a creative way, to make sure that everybody has a decent life," said Brown during the signing of the bill.
The state hopes that this move will make diminish inequality in compensation among workers. Additionally, workers will no longer have to wait one week to receive their claims, but coverage for PFL remains as a six-week period instead of the suggested 10 weeks.
"If you increase it too much, more money comes out of the workers' pockets to fund the program. We didn't want that," said Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez, one of the authors of the bill in the ABC 10 report. To learn more about PFL, visit the official site.
President Obama Lauds California's Paid Family Leave Expanded Benefits
Following the signing, Pres. Obama hailed California for their initiative in a written statement. He said that Congress should follow in the state's example in providing all Americans "this basic security," per Washington Post. Only four states in the United States have implemented PFL.
"I applaud the California State Legislature and @JerryBrownGov for expanding paid family leave" -@POTUS #LeadOnLeave pic.twitter.com/e4mm0Vyz9i
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 11, 2016
What are your thoughts about California's expanded law on Paid Family Leave? Let us know in the comments!
