On January 17, Governor Murphy signed S-2950/A-3451 (Moriarty/Zwicker/Quijano/Reynolds-Jackson/Coughlin), which expands job-protected paid family leave to employers with 15 or more employees. Currently, for an employee to be eligible for NJFLA job-protected leave, the employee must work for an employer with 30 or more employees, have been employed for at least 12 months, and have worked 1,000 hours in the last 12 months. The newly signed law amends the eligibility requirements to include employees that work for an employer with 15 or more employees, have been employed for at least three months, and have worked 250 hours in the preceding three months.

The legislation also provides additional job protections to those employees who utilize Temporary Disability Insurance benefits (TDI) for their own medical needs, requiring that employees be restored to their position or a position of equivalent seniority, pay, and benefits upon their return.

CCSNJ opposed this legislation out of concern that, while well-intentioned, it would place significant and disproportionate burdens on the smallest employers - many of whom lack the staffing capacity and financial resources needed to comply with additional regulatory mandates.

Please reach out to Hilary Chebra, Director, Government Affairs at hchebra@chambersnj.com if you have any questions.