STATEMENT FROM THE GOVERNOR ON FAMILY LEAVE INSURANCE

TRENTON - Governor Jon S. Corzine today issued the following statement on Family Leave Insurance following up on his comments at the New Jersey Business and Industry Association luncheon on Tuesday, December 11, 2007:

"To re-emphasize the point I made yesterday, the proposed family leave insurance legislation has no new mandates on small businesses with 50 or fewer employees. The legislation contains no new requirements for any business, and has no requirement that a small business hold a position open while an employee is receiving family leave insurance benefits.

"If a small business chooses to deny family leave, the only way an employee can receive family leave insurance benefits is to quit the job - an option that is highly unattractive. Based on the experience of California, most workers faced with this impossible decision chose to remain employed and received no benefits. Having to choose to quit your job in order to receive family leave insurance benefits is really no choice at all.

"Ideally every worker should be able to provide care for loved ones and maintain a limited income during a time of family crisis, secure in their ability to return quickly to their job. I wholeheartedly support this legislation and its promise to provide financial support for workers who are in need of leave and have the ability to take it."

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Photos and audio and video clips from Governor Corzine's public events are available in the Governor's Newsroom section on the State of New Jersey web page, http://www.nj.gov/ governor/news/