SB 5032: Implementing family and medical leave insurance.

HB 1116/SB 5032 would establish a program that allows the following:  parents to bond with a newborn or newly placed child; workers to care for family members with a serious health condition (or to recover from their own serious health condition); and workers to deal with exigencies arising out of the military service of a family member.  It does this by requiring the employment security department to: (1) establish and administer a family and medical leave insurance program; and (2) pay family and medical leave insurance benefits. Beginning in 2019, employees could take up to 26 weeks of paid family leave, which includes caring for a newborn or newly-adopted child or an ill family member, including injured service members. Beginning in 2020, an employee could take up to 12 weeks of paid medical leave, which can be used for the employee’s own serious health condition. The program would be funded by payroll premiums paid by both employees and employers.