[4] As of mid-2008, the only other states that had passed laws to offer paid family leave benefits were Washington and New Jersey.
[5] In 2009, five years after California's paid family leave law first went into effect, Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey, a Democrat from the same state, introduced H.R.
Instead, it relies on the limited job security already provided by federal and state laws: an employer is only required to grant time off and to hold a job for an employee if the employer is covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) or the California Family Rights Act (CFRA).
[6] The California Family Rights Act offers twelve weeks of unpaid leave for employees of firms with more than 20 workers.
[7] The California Employment Development Department offers a tool to help calculate benefit payment amounts.
[6] In a study conducted in California and Illinois of parents of chronically ill children before (2003-2004) and after (2005–2006) the passage of PFL, no difference was observed in time taken off work to care for a sick or newly born child.
Sixty percent of employers reported saving on costs by coordinating their own sick leave with PFL.