Testimony: Family Leave Insurance, Senate bill 2249

Good Morning,

My name is Maretta Short and I am the President of the National Organization for Women of New Jersey and the President of Women of Color and Allies the Essex County Chapter.  I am here this morning to request that you support Family Leave Insurance Senate bill 2249.  It costs so little and it will do so much.  As a working class African American woman I am greatly concerned about the future of health care in our communities.  Over 32 hospitals have closed in the metropolitan area and others have threatened to close their doors. The financial cutbacks have removed social workers from medical facilities and caused staff shortages.  When a family member comes out of an operating room and they are too weak to even feed themselves there is no staff available to assist patients because of overcrowding.  Our loved ones who are sick depend on our care more now than ever before.

The present “family leave legislation” doesn’t serve working class people and particularly in communities mostly populated by people of color.  Instead it serves the wealthy and the healthy.  The ones who can afford to pay for personal care for their families out of pocket.  But, there was a time when some of us might have benefited from the present “Family Leave” legislation by applying for public assistance welfare to help finance our living cost.  According to a U.S. Department of Labor’s 1996 FMLS study, 7.5 percent of those taking leaves relied on public assistance to pay the bills while they were out of work.  But, we took one step forward and ten steps backwards because in the same year, 1996, our government cut $270 billion from welfare and Medicaid services to give huge tax giveaways to the wealthy, which was tantamount to taking from the poor and giving to the rich.

Welfare reform is just not working.  Some working class African American women with children are single or even supporting a sick or disabled spouse.  Some work a job and a half, their parents are elderly, or have elderly parents and need attention.  And they are living from pay check to pay check.  We need a safety net!  Aren’t our families important too?

In my mother’s last days, it certainly would have relieved my mind and stress level if I could have afforded to take a Family Leave without pay or if I knew I had Family Leave insurance, but I had no recourse.  And because of that, my mother was admitted to a nursing home where she was not happy to be and she passed just a few days later.  It had a devastating impact on me and my family.  After, making sure she was taken care of for years -- during her finale hours I could not be there twenty four/seven , the way she needed me to be there.  Why?  Because the present Family Leave Legislation was not designed for a working class African American woman like me.  It was intended for the wealthy.  Well, my family is just as important as theirs and my family means just as much to me as theirs means to them.  Aren’t our families important too?

Another reason I’m requesting that you support Family Leave Insurance is because it will be good for business.  Many corporations are offering paid family leave to their employees.  Research shows that when employees have flexibility, productivity increases because their employees are happy and they become more dedicated.  Please do not allow the present Family Leave to stand, don’t let it discriminate against working class people.  Help create a much needed safety net for your constituents.  Support Family Leave Insurance bill 2249.  It will cost so little and do so much for all working class people.  Our families need us too.

Thank You.

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Senate Budget Appropriations Committee Released Family Leave Insurance bill 2249

Great news!  The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee released our Family Leave Insurance bill, S2249 by an 8-6 vote this morning.  The bill did pass with some amendments:   Family Leave Insurance will now provide benefits for 10 weeks instead of 12 and the tax base was also adjusted, but most importantly, there was no carve out for small businesses and even at 10 weeks, we would still have the most progressive program in the country.

Thank you to everyone who was at the hearing to testify in support the bill and everyone who made calls and sent emails to the members of the committee to make sure this vote and result would happen today.

Here is how they voted: