Bipartisan Ohio Senate bill would create up to 14 weeks of paid family and medical leave

A pair of bipartisan Ohio senators want to create a state-funded family and medical leave insurance program (Source: “Bipartisan bill would give Ohio workers up to 14 weeks of job-protected family and medical leave,” Ohio Capital Journal, April 29). 
 
Ohio state Sens. Beth Liston, D-Dublin, and Louis Blessing III, R-Colerain Township, introduced Ohio Senate Bill 396, which would provide Ohio workers with up to 14 weeks of job-protected paid leave for personal medical needs, caring for seriously ill family members or caring for new children.
 
According to a study from the National Partnership for Women and Families, 76% of Ohioans do not have paid family leave through their jobs.
 
The bill would create a paid family leave fund maintained by the state from an additional payroll contribution from both employees and employers of about 0.4%. The family and medical leave insurance fund would be in the custody of the
treasurer of state, but not part of the state treasury. 
 
Under the bill, workers would be paid 85% of their pay with a maximum benefit up to $1,231 per week. An employee would also have their job protected while they are on leave. 
 
According to a 2024 HPIO publication titled Creating a Financially Prosperous Ohio: Strategies to Improve Family Financial Security, “Paid leave, including family and sick leave, contributes to several positive outcomes, such as increased healthcare access, improved health outcomes, increased labor force participation and improved infant health.”