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New Jersey Governor Chris Christie Vetoes Paid Family Leave Expansion


This past Friday, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie issued a conditional veto of a bill that would have expanded paid leave for many employees in the state.  In short, paid leave of up to 6 weeks is currently available to employees in the state who work for companies with at least 50 employees.

The bill, A4927, would have increased the eligibility period for family leave to 12 weeks and raised the cap on the reimbursement an applicant could receive.  As well, the bill would have added siblings, grandparents, and parents-in-law as covered caregivers that would have been eligible to take the benefits.  In addition, paid leave would have been made available to employees who worked for companies with at least 20 employees.

In his explanation for the veto, Governor Christie stated that bill would have resulted in increased taxes paid by employees in the state.  (Currently, New Jersey's paid family leave plan is funded by employees via a small payroll deduction of up to $33.50/year).  With taxes already being high across the board in New Jersey, perhaps this justification makes sense (although it is likely little solace to employees who were expecting to see this expanded leave plan come to fruition).  Business groups who opposed this bill cheered the Governor's decision while pro-employee groups criticized the Governor for failing to put the state at the forefront of the paid leave debate.  Although the bill cleared both houses of the Legislature (with votes split along party lines), perhaps with Governor Christie nearing the end of his term, his successor will be more open to a paid leave expansion bill in the coming years?  I certainly would not discount the chances of a bill, similar to this one, coming along again once Governor Christie leaves office.


For additional information:  http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/07/christie_vetoes_paid_family_leave_expansion.html

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