May 15, 2019 / CBS Sacramento
California Governor Gavin Newsom has proposed extending Paid Family Leave so that each new parent could receive an additional two weeks of paid time off. The change, included in the May budget revision, would take effect July 1, 2020 if approved.
Current benefits: California’s Paid Family Leave now pays eligible workers about 60–70% of their salary (depending on income) for up to six weeks per year. New mothers who give birth may also receive 6–8 weeks of paid Disability Leave in addition to Paid Family Leave.
Under the governor’s proposal, Paid Family Leave would increase to up to eight weeks per parent. If both parents use the full benefit, families could have a combined four months of paid time to care for a newborn or newly adopted child after the mother’s disability period ends.
To fund the extra two weeks without new taxes or a broader budget impact, the plan would lower the minimum reserve requirement in the Disability Insurance Fund to 15%, effective July 1, 2019. The administration says this will allow the state to pay for the benefit within existing resources.
Newsom has said his longer-term goal is to extend paid leave further so parents or close family members can care for newborns or adopted children for the first six months of life. He is convening a task force to study options for doing so without straining the state budget; that panel is expected to issue recommendations in November.
Reporters note, however, that hundreds of thousands of Californians still lack access to any Disability or Paid Family Leave benefits at all.