Coalition Thanks General Assembly for Passing Bill to Strengthen Paid Family Leave Program
The Rhode Island Paid Family Leave Coalition expresses its thanks to the Rhode Island General Assembly for passing legislation to strengthen the Temporary Caregiver Insurance by expanding the benefit from six weeks to eight weeks of paid family leave over two years and increasing the weekly dependents’ allowance.
Caregiving is essential because it makes all other work possible. Caregivers are crucial to a functioning economy and shared prosperity. Expanding TCI will give new parents more time to bond with a newborn child, new adopted child, or new foster-care child, and caregivers more time to care for a seriously ill family member.
While the expansion from six to eight weeks of paid benefits and first-ever increase to the weekly dependents’ allowance is major progress, there are still several improvements that the Coalition would like to see implemented to ensure that Rhode Island stays competitive with neighboring states and all eligible Rhode Islanders can access this critical benefit. Including grandchildren, siblings, and designated care recipients in the TCI program would make it more accessible by ensuring that Rhode Islanders without immediate family members can still receive and provide necessary care in times of serious illness. Similarly, increasing the wage replacement rate from the current 60% would put us on par with paid family leave programs in Massachusetts and Connecticut, while also making the program more equitable for low-income workers, who cannot afford to take the TCI they are entitled to.
We appreciate our legislative champions, Senate Majority Whip Valarie J. Lawson and Representative Joshua J. Giraldo, whose bills were the vehicles for this Sub-A, and all partners and stakeholders who pushed so hard for fairness this session.
We’ll be back fighting for workers again next year!
###
The Rhode Island Paid Family Leave Coalition members include the Economic Progress Institute, AARP Rhode Island, Adoption Rhode Island, Latino Policy Institute, Planned Parenthood of Southern New England, RIght from the Start Campaign, Rhode Island Black Business Association, Rhode Island Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Rhode Island Coalition for Children and Families, Rhode Island KIDS COUNT, Rhode Island Parent Information Network, Rhode Island Women's Bar Association, Rhode Island Working Families Party, SEIU 1199NE, Senior Agenda Coalition of Rhode Island, The Village Common of Rhode Island, and Women’s Fund of Rhode Island.