Paid Family Leave: Who Truly Benefits? Origins, Realities and What the Construction Industry Needs to Know

First California, then Washington, and now New Jersey. These three states are currently in the vanguard when it comes to providing paid time off to employees to care for or bond with newborn or newly adopted children. The California and New Jersey laws go further, also providing paid time off to employees to care for certain relatives with serious health conditions. California's law has been in place since 2002 and paid leaves are currently available to employees in that state. The Washington and New Jersey laws won't become effective until 2009.

The movement that exists to pass such laws in additional states seems to be following a common game plan. While the prospect of a Democratic Congress and the possibility of a Democrat in the white House may mean that chances are good for an expansion of unpaid leave mandates at the federal level, the action in state legislatures is likely to be focused on bills that would look very much like the California and New Jersey laws.

This article appeared in the September/October 2008 issue of Construction Accounting and Taxation.