The legislature finds that, although family leave laws have assisted individuals to balance the demands of the workplace with their family responsibilities, more needs to be done to achieve the goals of parent and child bonding, workforce stability, and economic security. In particular, the legislature finds that many individuals do not have access to family leave laws, and those who do may not be in a financial position to take family leave that is unpaid, and that employer-paid benefits meet only a relatively small part of this need. The legislature declares it to be in the public interest to establish a program that: (1) Allows parents to bond with a newborn or newly placed child; (2) provides limited and additional income support for a reasonable period while an individual is away from work on family leave; (3) reduces the impact on state income support programs by increasing an individual's ability to provide caregiving services for a child while maintaining an employment relationship; and (4) establishes a wage replacement benefit to be coordinated with current existing state and federal family leave laws.

[2007 c 357 § 1.]

NOTES:

     Joint legislative task force -- 2007 c 357: "(1)(a) The joint legislative task force on family leave insurance is established, with thirteen members as provided in this subsection.

     (i) The chair and the ranking member of the senate labor, commerce, research and development committee.

     (ii) The chair and the ranking member of the house commerce and labor committee.

     (iii) The majority leader of the senate shall appoint one member from each of the two largest caucuses of the senate.

     (iv) The speaker of the house of representatives shall appoint one member from each of the two largest caucuses of the house of representatives.

     (v) The majority leader of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives jointly shall appoint four nonlegislative members of the task force, which shall include one member representing large business, one member representing small business, one member representing labor, and one member representing advocates for family leave.

     (vi) The governor shall appoint one member of the task force.

     (b) The department of labor and industries and the employment security department shall cooperate with the task force and shall each maintain a liaison representative, who shall be a nonvoting member.

     (c) The majority leader of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives jointly shall appoint the cochairs of the task force from among the legislative members of the task force. The cochairs shall convene the initial meeting of the task force. A steering committee consisting of the legislative members of the task force shall advise the cochairs on the meetings and other activities of the task force.

     (2) The task force shall study the establishment of a family leave insurance program including, but not limited to, the following:

     (a) The manner in which the benefits and the administrative costs should be financed;

     (b) The manner in which the program should be implemented and administered;

     (c) Any government efficiencies that should be adopted to improve program administration and reduce program costs; and

     (d) The impacts, if any, of the family leave insurance program on the unemployment compensation system, and options for mitigating such impacts.

     (3) Staff support for the task force must be provided by the senate committee services and the house of representatives office of program research. The task force may hire additional staff with specific technical expertise if such expertise is necessary to carry out the mandates of this study, and only if an appropriation is specifically provided for this purpose.

     (4) Legislative members of the task force must be reimbursed for travel expenses in accordance with RCW 44.04.120. Nonlegislative members, except those representing an employer or organization, are entitled to be reimbursed for travel expenses in accordance with RCW 43.03.050 and 43.03.060.

     (5) The expenses of the task force must be paid jointly by the senate and the house of representatives. Task force expenditures are subject to approval by the senate facilities and operations committee and the house of representatives executive rules committee, or their successor committees.

     (6) The task force shall report its findings and recommendations, which shall include recommendations as to the specific manner in which the benefits and the administrative costs should be financed as well as proposed legislation, to the legislature by January 1, 2008.

     (7) This section expires July 1, 2009." [2007 c 357 § 2.]