labor lawAdivision of labor law center

California could become the first in the nation to do something. It wouldn’t be the first time, as the state seems to be always in the forefront of something or other. But this something or other employers will want to know about if they have operations in the state, because it will affect how these employers give paid time off to their workers.

The state legislature is considered changing its law when it comes to how workers are allowed to take paid family leave time off, and in doing so, the sunshine state will become the first state in he entire country to allow its workers to take time off, paid time off, to care for a sick in-law. That means not just close family and themselves, but we’re talking a spouse’s father or mother, or perhaps even a brother-in-law or sister-in-law.

The bill that would make this revolutionary turn in paid time off regulation history is called Senate Bill 727. It was recently introduced into the state Senate by Sen. Sheila Kuehl, a Democrat from Santa Monica. The bill would specifically give employees across the state more access to paid family leave time off.

The way it works in California currently is that family leave is giving to workers for up to six weeks, paid. That would include time off needed to care for a new baby, or to care for a sick parent, or one of their own children or spouses (or domestic partners). But the bill that Kuehl is putting on the table would allow employees to take this six weeks of time off to also care for more extended family members, such as the aforementioned in-laws, and even grandparents, grandkids, and brother and sisters. There is no estimate that I could find that would show how many more employees per year would be eligible to use this time under the new rules.

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