http://www.resolve.org/get-involved/family-act-of-2011-bill-status.html
What is the FAMILY Act?
The Family and Medical Insurance Leave Act, or FAMILY Act, is a proposal for paid family and medical leave from Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT). The legislation would provide up to 12 weeks of paid leave each year to qualifying workers for the birth or adoption of a new child, the serious illness of an immediate family member, or a worker’s own medical condition. Workers would be eligible to collect benefits equal to 66 percent of their typical monthly wages, with a capped monthly maximum amount of $1,000 per week.
Will guaranteed paid leave for everyone just become another expensive entitlement?
Paid leave is not an entitlement—it’s an earned benefit. As is the case with Social Security, workers must have been employed and must have paid into the system in order to collect benefits.
It is also affordable: Employees and employers would each make contributions of just 0.2 percent of wages, or two cents for every $10 earned. This will amount to an average contribution of approximately $2 per week per worker from a worker’s paycheck.
■Similar to Social Security taxes, wages are only taxed up to a cap of $113,700, so the maximum contribution for a high-wage earner would be only $227.40 per year.
■When paid family leave was similarly implemented in California by expanding the existing State Disability Insurance, or SDI, system, two-thirds of workers did not even notice a change in their paychecks.
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Personally, I totally support this! I now live in NJ, and this state NJFLI (family leave insurance) which is similar but only for 4 weeks (or maybe 6 weeks?). Every worker pays something small into FLI each paycheck (like $2-$4 dollars) and if you need family leave, you can apply to recieve up to $450/week for 6 weeks. It's a small amount but better than nothing!
And the cost is so minimal for each person.
This is also for people who need to care for a sick family member while still retaining their jobs. How awful is it that in the "richest" country in the world, if a child gets cancer, a parent basically has to stop work or go unpaid to help their child through their illness?
Anyway, the second link shows you how to contact your Rep and Senators and ask that they support the FAMILY act.