SB 951 increases family and disability leave to help lower-wage workers who pay into these benefits access them when needed
SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today signed legislation to help hard-working Californians access family and disability leave benefits. SB 951 by Senator María Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles) will boost leave benefits for lower- and middle-income employees to cover more of their regular income while they take much-needed time off to care for loved ones.
“California families and our state as a whole are stronger when workers have the support they need to care for themselves and their loved ones,” said Governor Newsom. “California created the first Paid Family Leave program in the nation 20 years ago, and today we’re taking an important step to ensure more low-wage workers, many of them women and people of color, can access the time off they’ve earned while still providing for their family.”
SB 951 extends increased wage replacement rates for State Disability Insurance and Paid Family Leave that were set to sunset at the end of the year. Under the legislation’s phased increase in benefits, by 2025, workers earning less than the state’s average wage could receive up to 90% of their regular wages while taking leave.
SB 951 builds on the Governor’s action since taking office to bolster access to workplace leave, including legislation to expand job-protected family leave to millions more Californians, extend paid family leave benefits for a newborn child from 6 to 8 weeks and expand paid sick leave in response to COVID-19.
Yesterday, Governor Newsom signed AB 1041 by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) which enables workers to take paid sick leave or family leave in order to care for any person designated by the employee, including non-family members. The Governor also signed AB 152 to extend COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave through the end of the year and AB 1949 by Assemblymember Evan Low (D-Campbell) which allows workers to take job-protected bereavement leave.
The full list of bills the Governor announced signing can be found below:
- AB 1410 by Assemblymember Freddie Rodriguez (D-Pomona) – Common interest developments.
- AB 1642 by Assemblymember Rudy Salas (D-Bakersfield) – California Environmental Quality Act: water system well and domestic well projects: exemption. A signing message can be found here.
- AB 1658 by Assemblymember Janet Nguyen (R-Huntington Beach) – Oil spill response and contingency planning: oil spill elements: area plans.
- AB 1681 by Assemblymember Tom Daly (D-Anaheim) – Insurance: fraud prevention and detection.
- AB 1798 by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Los Angeles) – Campaign disclosure: advertisements.
- AB 1871 by Assemblymember Lisa Calderon (D-Whittier) – Vehicle history reports.
- AB 1925 by Assemblymember Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles) – County and district offices: qualifications.
- AB 2170 by Assemblymember Tim Grayson (D-Concord) – Residential real property: foreclosure sales.
- AB 2206 by Assemblymember Alex Lee (D-San Jose) – Nonattainment basins: employee parking: parking cash-out program.
- AB 2242 by Assemblymember Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles) – Mental health services. A signing message can be found here.
- AB 2406 by Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters) – Intermodal marine terminals. A signing message can be found here.
- AB 2521 by Assemblymember Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles) – Transgender, Gender Nonconforming, and Intersex Fund.
- AB 2711 by Assemblymember Lisa Calderon (D-Whittier) – Juvenile records access.
- AB 2949 by Assemblymember Alex Lee (D-San Jose) – Vehicles: toll exemptions.
- AB 2953 by Assemblymember Rudy Salas (D-Bakersfield) – Department of Transportation and local agencies: streets and highways: recycled materials.
- SB 459 by Senator Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica) – Political Reform Act of 1974: lobbying.
- SB 641 by Senator Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) – CalFresh for College Students Act.
- SB 674 by Senator María Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles) – Public Contracts: workforce development: covered public contracts.
- SB 746 by Senator Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) – Political Reform Act of 1974: business entities: online advocacy and advertisements.
- SB 950 by Senator Bob Archuleta (D-Pico Rivera) – CalFresh: income eligibility: basic allowance for housing.
- SB 951 by Senator María Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles) – Unemployment insurance: contribution rates: disability insurance: paid family leave: weekly benefit amount.
- SB 1019 by Senator Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach) – Medi-Cal managed care plans: mental health benefits.
- SB 1034 by Senator Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego) – Sexually violent predators.
- SB 1056 by Senator Thomas Umberg (D-Santa Ana) – Violent posts.
- SB 1081 by Senator Susan Rubio (D-Baldwin Park) – Disorderly conduct: peeping, recording, and distribution of intimate images.
- SB 1200 by Senator Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) – Enforcement of judgments: renewal and interest.
- SB 1206 by Senator Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) – Hydrofluorocarbon gases: sale or distribution.
- SB 1216 by Senator Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach) – Secretary of Government Operations: deepfakes.
- SB 1346 by Senator Josh Becker (D-Menlo Park) – Surplus medication collection and distribution.
- SB 1360 by Senator Thomas Umberg (D-Santa Ana) – Elections: disclosure of contributors.
- SB 1419 by Senator Josh Becker (D-Menlo Park) – Health information.
- SB 1452 by Senator Brian Dahle (R-Bieber) – Alcoholic beverages: licenses: Counties of El Dorado and Shasta.
- SB 1469 by Senator Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) – Water corporations: rates.
- SB 1476 by Senator Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) – Water replenishment districts: contracts.
For full text of the bills, visit: http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov.
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