N.J. gov signs paid family leave law

New Jersey became the third state in the nation to adopt a paid family leave law today..

Gov. Corzine, who has been an advocate of paid family leave since his days as a U.S. Senator, signed the bill into law early this afternoon, to the raucous applause of more than 100 supporters gathered for the event.

Workers will begin paying into a fund to pay for the program next January and may begin taking paid leaves in July 2009. New Jersey's law would allow workers to take up to six weeks of paid leave to care for sick family members or new born or newly-adopted children.

California is currently the only state to offer paid family leave, which is widely available in other industrialized nations throughout the world. Washington has also adopted paid family leave, but it will go into effect after New Jersey's.

"The signing of this bill ushes in a new day for New Jersey's workforce, in that it gives hard-working parents and caregivers the time they need to take care fo the family members who rely on them most," said Senator Stephen Sweeney (D., Gloucester), a sponsor of the bill.