Bill Would Extend Paid Family Leave To Cover School Closures

LOS ANGELES, CA — A Southland state senator authored new legislation that would expand paid family leave to parents who have to care for children whose schools are closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If it passes, the law could provide relief to hundreds of thousands of families.

Almost all of the state's schools have shut down during the coronavirus pandemic, leaving countless families in the lurch for childcare. The federal aid package approved last week, is limited and leaves some families without options, according to Sen. Ling Ling Chang, R-Diamond Bar. She said SB 943 aims to fill gaps in coverage left by the temporary federal program.

In normal times, Paid Family Leave provides benefits to people who have to take time off work to care for a new child or for a seriously ill family member. Normally, it wouldn't cover events such as a school shut down. Right now, it's been extended to people who are in quarantine or who are caring for someone diagnosed with COVID-19.

Nearly 99% of California's 10,000 schools -- responsible for the education of 6 million students -- have closed due to the coronavirus emergency, Chang said.

"Federal representatives have stepped up and provided much needed emergency leave for parents, but I'm worried some families will be left behind," she said. "School closures are not the choice of parents and we need to ensure everyone is protected from the economic damage COVID-19 is imposing on us all."

Chang said families ineligible for the federal government's emergency leave program include:

• parents who work for an employer with 500-plus employees;
• some parents who work for an employer with fewer than 50 employees;
• any parent with children displaced from school longer than three months; and
• any parent with children displaced from school after December in the event of COVID-19 surges.

Chang said SB 943 currently has a similar sunset date, which could be extended if needed.

SB 943 as currently drafted would provide eligibility to all parents with children displaced by school closures but would be amended to target the gaps in the federal program. Chang said she is also reviewing whether state PFL should be used on top of federal benefits to make families financially whole during the COVID-19 crisis.

The federal COVID-19 program permits two-thirds the regular amount of pay and is limited to $200 a day and a total of $10,000, according to Chang.

"With every school in the state closed, parents are taking a huge hit right now," she said. "Similar to the forthcoming federal stimulus program, putting extra funds in the hands of families would help keep our economy afloat."

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.