Paid Family Leave

TAKE ACTION

Tell our lawmakers: Hawai‘i families can’t wait any longer. The time for paid family leave is NOW!

There are still two bills being considered by the Hawaiʻi legislature is this session that would establish paid family leave programs. The following bills are preferred for their financing structure, progressive wage replacement levels, and covered scenarios for families:

How to Submit Testimony

  1. Log in (or make an account) on the Capitol website.

  2. Go to the bill’s status page (see links above for appropriate bill number) and click the “Submit Testimony” button.

  3. Select SUPPORT for your position

  4. Write your testimony. See sample testimony and resource links below to get started—Don’t overthink it!

  5. Testimony must be submitted 24 hours in advance to be considered on time. However, late testimony will still be accepted up until the time of the hearing.

  • (It’s best if you personalize with your own words and experience.)

    Aloha Chairs, Vice Chairs, and members of the committees,

    I am [NAME], writing to you in strong support of SB 2474, for the implementation of paid family leave in Hawaiʻi. This policy will have a profound impact for working families throughout our islands, helping to ease the heavy economic burden they face when needing to care for a loved one, and supporting the overall health and well-being of our island communities. 

    Every developed nation in the world—except the United States—has a paid family leave policy. To fill this gap, thirteen states have passed paid leave laws, and I am hopeful that Hawaiʻi will be next. This legislation avoids putting undue burden on businesses, taking just a small payroll deduction that workers can tap into when they need to take leave for extended periods of time.

    Having a child, falling ill, caring for a sick parent or grandparent–these are part of life, and things we will all face one day. It’s not a matter of if, it’s when. And it is profoundly unfair that when these things happen to low wage workers that they must choose between caring for themselves or their loved ones and having no income. It is an untenable situation. We need to act, and we have the ability to do so now by passing this important legislation. 

    Paid leave is an investment in our community that will dramatically improve the quality of life for Hawaiʻi’s working families, and ensure that the next generation can thrive here. Mahalo for putting Hawaiʻi’s working families first and considering this bill.

  • The Hawaiʻi legislature is considering a number of bills this session that would establish paid family leave programs. The following bills are preferred for their financing structure, progressive wage replacement levels, and covered scenarios for families:

    HB1658/SB2046 (Working Families Caucus)

    HB1768/SB2474 (Kupuna Caucus)

    HB2757

OVERVIEW

What is it? Paid family leave is a policy that provides workers a portion of their income while they take time off of work to care for a child, or when they or a loved one has a serious health need. 

Why do we care? Hawaiʻi’s rising rates of food insecurity are fundamentally rooted in economic inequality. Workers earning low wages struggle to meet their basic needs, and for this reason cannot afford to take time off of work in order to take care of a new baby, elderly parent, or sick family member. 

Every developed nation in the world—except the U.S.—has a paid family leave policy. Thirteen states have stepped up to fill in the gap, and we hope that Hawaiʻi will follow suit.

How does it work? Paid family leave programs work best when they are financed by small payroll deductions that go into a state-administered trust fund (similar to Social Security and Medicare). When an employee needs paid family leave, they would apply to the trust fund to get paid. Since they would be getting paid from the trust fund, their employer would not need to pay them during that time. That frees up funds for the employer to hire temps or otherwise cover the work.

The most progressive programs graduate the payouts–so that the lowest income workers get the highest percentage of their take home pay–ensuring that the families struggling the most get the maximum benefits.