Family Medical Leave

Small business owners say government doesn’t understand their concerns, need help with healthcare costs and other challenges

Publisher: 
Small Business Majority
Date: 
Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Policymakers at all levels, from town councils to the halls of Capitol Hill, emphasize the challenges of small businesses as a key talking point during political debates. But new opinion polling in four states—Illinois, Missouri, Virginia and Wisconsin—reveals small businesses feel their government officials don’t actually understand their challenges, and they support a wide array of policies to address their needs, some of which might come as a surprise to their elected officials.

Colorado small businesses support paid family medical leave

Publisher: 
Small Business Majority
Date: 
Thursday, March 28, 2019

The Colorado state legislature is considering a bill that would make Colorado the seventh state in the country to establish a program guaranteeing access to paid leave to care for a newborn child or a sick family member. Small business owners and their employees are particularly affected by the current lack of access to paid family leave as many small businesses can’t afford to offer robust benefits, putting them at a disadvantage with their larger counterparts.

New York State Paid Family Leave Program: What Small Businesses Need to Know

Starting in 2018, New York will establish a paid family leave insurance program that will enable workers to take up to 12 weeks of paid time away from work in order to care for a loved one or bond with a new child. The New York State Paid Family Leave Program will be entirely funded by modest employee contributions, and employees who take leave will be guaranteed job protection.

This document is intended to answer any questions small employers in New York might have about the program and its effects on small business owners and their employees.

Paid Family Leave in Connecticut: What Small Businesses Need to Know

Current Connecticut law only provides unpaid leave for certain employees who need to take time off from work to bond with a new child or to care for a seriously ill child, spouse or family member. However, many workers cannot afford to take extended unpaid leave, and some small employers are unable to provide paid leave benefits to their employees for an extended period of time.

A paid family leave insurance program would allow Connecticut employees to contribute to a state-administered insurance program that would help provide paid leave to working adults who need time off to care for a seriously ill family member or to bond with a new child. This would allow small businesses that previously could not afford to offer paid leave to provide an extra benefit to their employees.

This document is intended to answer any questions small employers might have about the importance of establishing a paid family leave insurance program in Connecticut, and the effects this would have on small business owners and their workers.

Rhode Island’s Temporary Caregiver Insurance Program

Rhode Island’s Temporary Caregiver Insurance program (TCI) took effect in 2014. The TCI program provides up to four weeks of wage replacement benefits to employees who need to take time off from work to bond with a new child or to care for a seriously ill child, spouse or family member.

This document is intended to answer any questions small employers might have about Rhode Island’s TCI program and its effects on small business owners and their workers.

The FAMILY Act: What Small Businesses Need to Know

Sponsored by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), the proposed Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMILY) Act would create an insurance program enabling workers to take up to 12 weeks of paid time away from work in order to care for a loved one or bond with a new child.

This document is intended to answer any questions small employers might have about the proposed program and its effects on small business owners and their workers.

New York Small Businesses Support Publicly Administered Family and Medical Leave Insurance Pools

Publisher: 
Small Business Majority
Date: 
Monday, December 16, 2013

Small business owners in the Empire State have been working tirelessly to pull the state’s economy back from the brink of the Great Recession. The long hours and commitment they put into their businesses are rivaled only by their employees, whose hard work is crucial to the success of the business. That’s why New York small business owners feel it makes good business sense to take care of their employees, as it’s crucial they retain a loyal, talented workforce.

Small Businesses Support Family Medical Leave

Publisher: 
Small Business Majority
Date: 
Friday, September 27, 2013

Small business owners have been working tirelessly to pull the economy back from the brink of the Great Recession. The long hours and commitment they put into their businesses is rivaled only by their employees, whose hard work is crucial to the success of the business. That’s why small business owners feel it makes good business sense to take care of their employees, as it’s crucial they retain a loyal, talented workforce.