Advocates propose that governments extend either state unemployment or temporary disability insurance programs to pay for family leave. However, they have not yet passed the necessary legislation to start the experiment. Supporters include a very wide range of interests. In Massachusetts, for instance, where victory is reported close at hand, the coalition leading the campaign includes the Women's Statewide Legislative Network, the AFL-CIO, the Alzheimer's Association, the Catholic Church, and the Jewish Labor Council, among others. According to the National Partnership, they represent an overwhelming number of Americans in favor of the idea.
Every benefit has a cost.
But in this case, advocates say it would be minimal. The estimated expense of providing income to Vermont workers on parental leave is less than 15 cents per week per covered employee, according to the Partnership. In fact, business groups have already won billions of dollars in unemployment insurance tax cuts, points out Maurice Emsellem of the National Employment Law Project, who testified on behalf of paid family leave before both Congress and the Massachusetts state legislature. If temporary disability insurance pays for leave, to which employees contribute the most, the costs would also be low, say advocates. A study just issued by the California Employment Development Department reports that employees would have to contribute only one-tenth of 1 percent more to cover the costs.