Contact: Atif Malik, New Jersey Citizen Action, 973-643-8800; Jon Shure, New Jersey Policy Perspective, 609-393-1145 ext. 11; N.J. Time to Care Coalition, rucares@rci.rutgers.edu

TRENTON, N.J., March 3 /Standard Newswire/ -- Legislation being considered today by the State Senate would put New Jersey on the road to becoming the third state in the nation (after California and Washington State) to adopt a family leave insurance program for its workers.

The proposed legislation would allow workers to receive two-thirds of their usual wage, up to a maximum of $524 per week in 2008, for six weeks over a 12-month period at the birth or adoption of a child or to care for a seriously ill child, parent, spouse or domestic partner.

"Paid family leave is an excellent idea because the employee would have some financial help during a family crisis," says Jean Pierce of Woodbridge, who had no paid family leave when her 14-month-old son was diagnosed with early-stage cancer and she quit her job to provide full-time care for her son for a year. "For those people who might be with small employers, they at least know that they will have some financial support during the time of crisis."

More than 3.2 million New Jersey workers who are now paying into the state's Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI) program would be covered by the legislation. Depending on their current wages, New Jersey workers would pay an additional sum into the TDI fund to pay for the paid family leave program. Employers would not be required to fund the family leave program.

"It offers small employers like me the opportunity to offer benefits at virtually no cost," declared Kelly Conklin, a small-business owner in Bloomfield. "It's a win-win for both the employer and the employee."

The family leave insurance program would be available to any worker in New Jersey who has been employed for at least 20 weeks and has earned $143 or more a week during that period.