Subject: CA: Senator Hayden Introduces Domestic Partner Legislation
From: LIFE Lobby / LIFE Institute <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 15:44:44

For Immediate Release
February 10, 1998

Contacts:	
Joe Hall, Legislative Assistant		
	(916) 445-1353
	Office of Senator Tom Hayden
Ellen McCormick, Legislative Advocate	
	(916) 444-0424
	LIFE: California's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and HIV/AIDS 
Lobby

SENATOR HAYDEN INTRODUCES DOMESTIC PARTNERS EXPANSION TO
FAMILY CARE AND MEDICAL LEAVE ACT

Sacramento - As part of his 1998 Legislative package, Senator Tom Hayden 
(D-Los Angeles) introduced legislation to allow domestic partners and 
siblings to qualify for California's Family Care and Medical Leave Act 
and take unpaid medical leave to care for their partner or sibling.

"SB 1506 is necessary for unmarried individuals to care for their 
partners or siblings during times of serious illness or 
hospitalization," said Senator Hayden.  "Often when individuals are 
faced with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses, their primary 
caregivers are forced to lie to their employers in order to take the 
necessary time off to care for their partner or sibling; or they are 
not allowed the time off at all - this problem adds insult to injury 
in a serious time of need."

Existing California law allows parents and spouses to take unpaid 
medical leave to care for a child or spouse for up to twelve weeks.  
SB 1506 would add "sibling" and "a person who depends on the employee 
for immediate care and support, who shares a common residence with the 
employee" to the list of individuals allowed to take unpaid medical 
leave to care for another in a time of serious illness.  Among the 
beneficial aspects of this measure, SB 1506:

* applies only to large businesses with 50 or more employees;

* allows an employee to take unpaid medical leave, or use accrued 
vacation time, or other accumulated time off and will not cost 
California's employers any additional dollars;

* provides individuals with lower health care costs by allowing a 
non-spouse primary caregiver or sibling to act as a home health care 
nurse; and 

* saves taxpayer dollars by lessening the need for a licensed home 
health care nurse that would have been provided by Medi-Cal, or by 
another taxpayer subsidized health care program.

Simply put, SB 1506 allows individuals to have their primary caregivers 
with them in their most serious time of need.

##

If you would like more information about SB 1506 or any other gay, 
lesbian or HIV-related legislation, please contact Joe Hall or Ellen 
McCormick at the numbers listed above.  Interested individuals and 
organizations are encouraged to send letters of support to Senator Tom 
Hayden, and to send copies of their letters to the Senate Judiciary 
Committee and to the LIFE Lobby at the address below.

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This message has been brought to you by LIFE: California's Lesbian, Gay, 
Bisexual, Transgender and HIV/AIDS Lobby.  LIFE has been lobbying on 
behalf of California's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and 
HIV-affected communities since 1986.  LIFE is the oldest and largest 
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would like further information about current LGBT legislation, LIFE 
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LIFE: California's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and HIV/AIDS 
Lobby 
1301 H Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 444-0424
fax (916) 444-3059
<http://www.lifelobby.org>