News release
MomsRising.org Praises NJ Governor Corzine for Signing Paid Family Leave Bill
May 2, 2008
Lisa Lederer, 202-371-1996
Online Activist Group Generated Thousands of Legislative Contacts, Held ‘Power of ONEsie’ Event in Support of Measure
MomsRising.org, the grassroots and on-the-ground online organization for moms (and anyone who has a mom), today applauded New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine for making New Jersey the third state in the nation to adopt paid family leave. New Jersey MomsRising.org members lobbied, testified before Assembly and Senate committees, and made hundreds of phone calls, as well as sent tens of thousands of letters to legislators.
MomsRising.org also staged a “Power of ONEsie” display in support of the measure, exhibiting hundreds of specially-decorated baby outfits outside the State Capital. Business owners who are members of Momsrising.org signed a letter in support of family leave insurance, which will help small businesses provide this key benefit to their workers. The New Jersey Time to Care Coalition spearheaded the effort to gain passage of the bill.
“Governor Corzine and the New Jersey legislature understand that paid family leave is good for families, children and businesses,” said MomsRising.org Executive Director Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner. “The birth of a new baby, which should be a happy occasion, is a leading cause of poverty spells in this country. This new law will help New Jersey families stay out of poverty and give New Jersey children a healthy start. ”
The law expands the New Jersey temporary disability insurance program to give workers up six weeks of paid family leave to care for newborn or newly adopted children, or a sick family member. It also provides workers with temporary disability insurance benefits equaling two-thirds of their wages up to $524 per week. The benefits will be financed by an employee payroll deduction.
Washington State passed a family leave insurance bill last spring and California passed a paid leave bill in 2002. MomsRising.org was pivotal in the effort to pass the Washington State law. According to a report by Dr. Jody Heymann of Harvard and McGill Universities, the United States is one of just four countries (of 173 studied) that does not guarantee paid maternity leave – the others are Liberia, Papua New Guinea and Swaziland.