CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - A reworked paid family and medical leave plan offered by New Hampshire Democrats received a mixture of support and opposition at a state Senate committee hearing Tuesday.
The plan is a bit different from one passed in the House last year. It offers up to 12 weeks of paid leave for state and non-government employees for the birth, adoption or fostering of a child, a serious illness not related to employment or the serious illness of a spouse or certain other relatives.
It would require businesses to provide insurance or send 0.5 percent of employees’ weekly wages to the state.
Republicans, including Gov. Chris Sununu, called it an income tax and questioned its costs.
Sununu and Vermont Republican Gov. Phil Scott recently introduced a program in which both states would cover the costs.
In a letter to Sununu, Senate Democrats said the plan would address some of his concerns raised from last year’s bill.
They said it would emphasize a third-party administrator to establish a public-private partnership; more options for businesses; and job protections for employees who work for small businesses with fewer than 50 employees. The bill has a provision that includes employers of at least 15 employees and includes language to protect against discrimination and retaliation for workers at firms of all sizes.
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