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 Family Leave Insurance Update
The future is grim for the new insurance program, scheduled to begin in October 2009, giving new parents $250 a week for up to five weeks while they take time off from work to bond with a new born or newly adopted child.
Some progress was made earlier this year when the Legislature approved funding of $6.2 million for the Department of Employment Security (ESD) to build a computer system to process payments for paid family leave. ESD was in the process of hiring staff to complete the project when the state hiring freezes when into effect August 4.
Recently, Governor Gregoire suspended any further work on the computer system that would have operated the program. How to pay for the new benefit had not been determined, and given the state budget crises, implementation by October 2009 is in doubt.
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