Source: (Salem) Today's Sunbeam, (Newark) Star-Ledger, Associated Press via USA Today, Washington Blade, Crosscut (Seattle)
TRENTON, NJ -- New Jersey on Friday became the third state to allow workers paid time off to care for a sick family member or new child, with the signing of a law more than 10 years in the making. It's the second state after California to extend the benefits to all families, including gay couples.

Steven Goldstein, chair of Garden State Equality, told the Washington Blade that his state "arguably leads the way in America amongst state legislatures in advancing LGBT rights."

"Not even Massachusetts, which has marriage equality, has paid family leave," Goldstein said.

“There’s a huge population influx of LGBT people into New Jersey,” he said. “Great laws on the books are an incentive for people to move here.”

Gov. Jon S. Corzine called the enactment of paid family leave a legacy moment for the state. The law allows New Jersey workers take up to six weeks off with pay.

Nearly 200 supporters gathered for the bill-signing ceremony at the Statehouse to revel in the victory that took a dozen years to achieve. Business leaders had stymied the measure, arguing the program would hurt productivity -- especially for companies with fewer than 50 employees -- and would discourage employers from creating new jobs, Star-Ledger reports.

Corzine addressed the criticisms with a touch of blunt humor.

"I may be an old washed-up businessman, but I passionately believe this bill is not anti-business," said Corzine, who was chief executive officer of the investment house Goldman Sachs before he entered political life eight years ago.

The Democratic governor noted how his children spent time helping him recover from a near-fatal car crash just more than a year ago.

The leave will be paid through a payroll deduction costing workers about $33 per year. Workers who take leave will get two-thirds of their salary, up to $524 per week.

Workers can begin taking paid leave on July 1, 2009. The state estimates 38,000 workers annually will use the program. New Jersey has 4.1 million workers.

"When I was in the hospital after my accident last spring, it was the strong support from my family that kept me going," the multimillionaire governor said. "I was fortunate my family members had the flexibility to be there for me day-in and day-out, but not everyone has that luxury."

Senate Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney, the bill sponsor, called the bill signing "a new day for New Jersey's workforce," saying it gives hard-working parents the time they need to care for family members who rely on them the most.

Sweeney, whose daughter spent 75 days in a neonatal unit after birth, was able to take the time off from work that he needed to spend time with her.

"Had my employment situation been different, I could have had a difficult time balancing the 75 days at the hospital with my newborn daughter, or going to work to provide for my wife and young son," said Sweeney, D-3rd Dist., of West Deptford.

Labor leaders have fought for the bill for more than a decade. On Friday, they said the signing was a historic day for New Jersey's families.

The legislation was opposed by Republicans and businesses who called it a burden on employers.

Federal law allows some workers to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave.

California allows workers to take up to six weeks paid leave under a 2004 law. The law applies to married couples and to domestic partners, including gay couples.

Washington has approved allowing workers to take five weeks paid leave for a new child, but funding for the program beyond startup costs have not been identified. In its current form, the law would not cover the state's registered gay domestic partners.

If the Washington program starts as planned in October 2009, it will provide parents of newborn and newly adopted children $250 per week for up to five weeks, pro-rated for part-time workers.

Debra Ness, the National Partnership for Women & Families president, predicts more states will adopt similar laws.

"As our economy struggles, it is especially important that lawmakers put in place these basic family friendly policies to help working families avoid financial catastrophe when illness strikes or new babies come," Ness said to Associated Press.

According to state officials, about 20 percent of all workers in New Jersey have no paid sick or vacation time and 40 percent of low-wage workers have no paid time off, Sunbeam reports, Today's Sunbeam reports.

While most other nations in the world, including Canada and every European country, provide nationally mandated paid parental leave, the U.S. provides only unpaid leave to parents who work for large employers. Only 18 percent of workers are able to take this leave, according to the National Partnership for Women and Families, largely because it is unpaid.

But Republicans in New Jersey, who opposed the bill, said the program would be a burden on New Jersey residents. They questioned the timing of the law.

"When jobs are fleeing New Jersey in record numbers and the economy is slowing, we simply cannot afford a new tax on every employee," said Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean Jr.

Businesses also took a strong stance against the program, arguing it would burden employers and further cripple New Jersey's economy by forcing businesses out of the state.

Supporters of the bill, including Corzine, have looked to California, which has had a program in place since 2004, to analyze the possible impact of paid family leave in New Jersey.

Corzine said, based on that analysis, he strongly believes the program will not burden business but be a competitive advantage for the state.

"I am confident this self-funded family insurance program will improve family life, fill a gap in our social contract with our citizens, and attract workers to this state," Corzine said.

Full article: Corzine signs family leave bill with nod towards state's values | Star-Ledger
N.J. becomes 3rd state to pass paid family leave law | Today's Sunbeam
 N.J. offers paid leave to workers caring for relatives | USA Today (AP)
Another year of mixed results in state legislatures | Washington Blade
Washington stumbles toward landmark paid family leave | Crosscut (Seattle)