Family leave again before N.J. Senate

0 Comments | Philadelphia Inquirer, The, January, 2008 | by Joseph A. Gambardello Inquirer Staff Writer

TRENTON - The battle over paid family leave in New Jersey was renewed yesterday in a Senate committee hearing, with proponents calling it a matter of fairness and opponents saying it would hurt the state's business climate. After the hearing, the Budget and Appropriations Committee released the paid family leave bill to the full Senate in an 8-6 vote, with Sen.

Shirley Turner (D., Mercer) joining all five Republicans in opposition. The measure, which has not come up before an Assembly committee, provides for creation of an insurance benefit, similar to unemployment or disability, that would pay up to $504 a week for six weeks of leave to care for a family member, including a newborn or an adopted child. State Labor Commissioner David Socolow, who supports the bill along...