Paid FMLA Leave On The Way?

It might be according to this story from HR.BLR.com:

Senator Chris Dodd of Connecticut [left] says he will propose legislation that would give eligible employees at least 6 weeks of paid leave to care for themselves, their children, and immediate family members under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

Dodd says his legislation would also expand the number of individuals eligible for FMLA leave. Dodd was the author of the FMLA, which was signed into law in 1993.

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Dodd says the cost of the paid-leave program would be shared by employers, employees, and the federal government.

The United States lags behind nearly every industrialized country in the world in not providing some form of paid-leave to employees and the current state of affairs exacerbates the challenge of balancing work and family life for many employees. 

California recently became the first state to offer such a program, "allow[ing] most California workers to receive up to a 55 percent wage replacement benefit for 6 weeks in a 12-month period."

Under the current version of the FMLA, employers can either provide up to 12 weeks of qualified family and medical leave on an unpaid basis or force employees to use other types of accrued paid leave time, such as vacation or sick days, during their leave period.

PS