Legislation Strengthening California’s Paid Family Leave Program a Smart Move for Entrepreneurs
Statement by Mark Herbert, California Director for Small Business Majority, on how new paid family leave legislation signed by Governor Brown today will benefit California’s small business owners
Governor Jerry Brown’s signing of AB 908 today—legislation increasing the amount of wage replacement available to workers under the California Paid Family Leave program—is a step in the right direction for California’s entrepreneurs. Increasing the amount of wage replacement available through the program will help small businesses offer stronger benefits to their employees to keep them happy and healthy.
Small business owners know that paid family leave can strengthen their bottom lines by boosting worker morale and productivity. In fact, Small Business Majority’s polling found nearly six in 10 support publicly-administered family medical leave insurance pools funded by modest contributions from employees, like the California Paid Family Leave program.
By increasing the robustness of the California Paid Family Leave program, AB 908 helps small business owners offer competitive benefits at no extra cost to employers. This will level the playing field so small businesses can offer competitive benefits to retain and attract a productive workforce.
I was honored to join Governor Brown as he signed this bill today. California is already a leader in paid family leave, and this legislation will help small businesses and their employees further benefit from this program.
About Small Business Majority
Small Business Majority is a national small business advocacy organization, founded and run by small business owners to focus on solving the biggest problems facing America's 28 million small businesses today. Since 2005, we have actively engaged small business owners and policymakers in support of public policy solutions, and have delivered information and resources to entrepreneurs that promote small business growth and drive a strong, sustainable economy. We are a team of more than 30 working from our 11 offices in Washington, D.C. and 9 states, with a network of more than 45,000 small business owners and more than 2,000 business organizations, along with a formal strategic partnership program of more than 125 business organizations, enabling us to reach more than 500,000 entrepreneurs. Our extensive scientific polling, focus groups and economic research help us educate and inform policymakers, the media and other stakeholders about issues including taxes, healthcare, access to capital, entrepreneurship, workforce development, clean energy and immigration. Learn more about us on our website and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.