Paid family leave: COVID-19.

Existing law establishes within the state disability insurance program a family temporary disability insurance program, also known as the Paid Family Leave program, for the provision of wage replacement benefits to workers who take time off work to care for a seriously ill family member or to bond with a minor child within one year of birth or placement, as specified. This bill would, until December 31, 2020, also authorize wage replacement benefits to specified workers who take time off work to care for a child or other family member, including a child or adult with disabilities, for whom the employee is responsible for providing care if that person's school or place of care has been closed, or the care provider of that person is unavailable, due to the COVID-19 virus outbreak. The bill would require that any additional costs associated with the extension of wage replacement benefits in these provisions be paid from the General Fund, upon appropriation by the Legislature. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.