Informational Session on Paid Family Leave

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State Representative Kenneth Gordon will share a presentation on a bill he filed with the Massachusetts legislature, H. 1718, which is one of three bills filed this session that seeks to establish a temporary disability insurance fund that will also cover workers in the case of the birth or adoption of a child, or who must care for a severely ill or injured family member.  Attend this session to learn of the potential benefits and costs of the program.  The pending legislation would:

• Establish a fund to provide partial wage reimbursement for up to 12 weeks to care for a family member, or up to 30 weeks for a worker's own injury or illness, with 12 weeks job protected;
• Apply to all Massachusetts workers, regardless of the size of the employer, except for federal or municipal employees;
• Free up resources so an employer can hire a replacement worker while the employee draws from the fund;
• Extend FMLA-type benefits to workers of smaller employers and work with FMLA to provide a wage component to workers of larger employers;
• Be funded through a premium charged to employers, employees, or a combination of the two for pennies per hour as the cost of the benefit.