The Legislature is considering a budget trailer bill that would expand family medical leave as a requirement for businesses with just one employee or more.
The proposal would allow up to 12 weeks of leave to bond with a new child or care for a seriously ill family member. It would also allow up to eight of those weeks to be paid.
The issue came up in a recent budget hearing for the Assembly.
“This will be a significant and expensive new burden for very small farm employers in California who are struggling right now to recover from the economic shock of COVID-19,” said Bryan Little of the California Farm Bureau during the hearing.
He encouraged the Legislature to instead consider the proposal under “the normal policy process,” with committee votes and public input. Several other business groups opposed the measure as well. The Legislature rejected a similar proposal last year.
