California’s regulations define “four months” as the number of days the employee would normally work within four calendar months… Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. California was the first state in the country to embrace paid family leave when, in 2002, then-Gov. Among its initiatives, he plans to spend the state’s surplus on is a new parental leave policy that would offer parents six months of paid time off to bond with their new babies. Newsom, a father of four young kids who was elected in November, also included in the budget "funding for universal preschool for all income-eligible four-year-old children in the state, phased in over a three-year period. If put into practice this plan (while still not offering as much time as parents in other countries get) would be the best in the country, and could put pressure on other states to implement or lengthen paid leaves for parents. California’s existing program, started more than a decade ago, is relatively cheap. This despite an overwhelming body of research (and the lived experiences of parents in other developed nations) which proves that paid leave has massive benefits for babies, parents and society. Newsom is forming a task force that will examine ways to structure and pay for the expanded leave. Newly elected California Gov. This week California’s governor proposed a plan to give new parents six months of partial-paid leave. 15 Reasons to Eat Grapefruit Daily while Pregnant! San Jose named most innovative local government in U.S. Newsom’s plan doesn’t go that far. Democrats in the Legislature have begun introducing bills to give workers full pay during family leave and expand the amount of time off, though the legislation doesn’t yet carry many specifics. Croatia leads the way with 58 weeks maternity leave followed by Norway(56 weeks) and Sweden(55 weeks). Newsom wants to stretch it to six months. Home » California Proposes 6 Months Partial-Paid Maternity Leave. Donating Vacation Time to Expectant Moms, So, Apparently “Fur-ternity” Leave Is a Thing Now. "Why? “It can fuel the momentum we need to make this happen the way it needs to happen,” said Jenya Cassidy, an activist who helped pass the state’s first law. It’s not just the right thing to do — it’s a developmental necessity. But if successful, a law giving all families six months to bond with a new baby would reinstate California as the nation’s vanguard of progressive family policy, a position that has slipped in recent years. Two parents or caretakers would be allowed to take advantage of the program for up to three months each. payroll deductions, like the new plan in Washington state. blogherads.defineSlot("medrec", "repeating-content-1").display(); Becoming Mama™: A Pregnancy and Birth Podcast by Motherly, California governor Gavin Newsom just proposed 6 months of parental leave , some new parents in his state see a portion of their wages paid for six weeks after the baby comes. Or do you want government to do it for you?”. If the female worker recovers faster than four months, she may not be entitled to the entire four months of maternity leave. That's a commitment a lot of American parents can appreciate. “Why? The California … For those employers already offering leave, the policy means they spend less on the benefit. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. And I have good reasons to say so. blogherads.adq.push(function() { One option is an increased payroll tax, which would mean taking more deductions from most workers’ paychecks.