Ohio workers would get up to 12 weeks of paid leave per year to care for a new baby or sick family member under new legislation from House Democrats. Paid for through employee payroll deductions that, based on other states, could cost workers about $25 to $30 per year, Ohioans could get a portion of their salary paid for up to 12 weeks for qualifying circumstances.

Ohio workers would get up to 12 weeks of paid leave per year to care for a new baby or sick family member under new legislation from House Democrats.

Paid for through employee payroll deductions that, based on other states, could cost workers about $25 to $30 per year, Ohioans could get a portion of their salary paid for up to 12 weeks for qualifying circumstances. The program would be administered by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, which also would create a sliding scale to determine how much each worker contributes to the fund.

�The United States is the only industrialized nation that does not provide paid leave to new mothers,� said Rep. Christie Kuhns, D-Cincinnati, a prime bill sponsor who gave birth to a baby last year and returned to the Statehouse four weeks later. �This is something we all need to rally behind and ensure that every single citizen in Ohio can afford themselves those benefits.�

Under the bill, a worker would be eligible for paid leave if he or she worked at least 680 hours during the period, premiums were withheld for at least one year and the leave was for eligible purposes.

Ohio would join five states � California, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Washington and, most recently, New York � to require paid parental leave, if passed. Ohio�s 12 weeks would match New York�s law, which passed last week, while others offer four to six weeks.

Under the federal Family Medical Leave Act, workers can take as many as 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for a newborn or adopted child, or care for a family member. But supporters of paid leave say many workers can't afford to take that much unpaid time off and currently only about 13 percent of workers have some form of paid leave through their employers.

Paid leave, Kuhns said, helps moms build bonds with their babies and would positively affect Ohio�s infant mortality rate, which is among the nation�s worst. She is sponsoring the bill with Rep. Janine Boyd, D-Cleveland Heights.

Cincinnati and Dayton have approved six-week paid family leave policies for their workers, and Columbus Councilwoman Liz Brown said she is working to pass it in Columbus.

�Having a family-friendly policy like this statewide makes it that much more attractive to move to Ohio,� Brown said.

Gail Dudley, owner of Ready Publication in Columbus, said paid leave can help employee morale and attract talent, �but unfortunately many small business owners can�t afford to pay for leave for their employees and that puts us at a disadvantage.�

Some large companies offer paid leave and those workers could opt out of the state program if the policy is better. Dudley and others say the bill would help level the playing field for small businesses.

�This bill is part of a national trend, a growing realization that the United States is so far behind the rest of the world on this critical issue,� said Keary McCarthy, president of progressive think tank Innovation Ohio. �We think offering this could be a huge savings to local businesses."

The bill calls for a study to determine the cost of paid leave.

With no Republican co-sponsors, the bill�s chances of movement appear slim, at least in the near future. Kuhns said she had not yet spoken to top business advocacy groups.

A spokesman for Speaker Cliff Rosenberger, R-Clarksville, offered no opinion on the issue but said the bill would get �fair consideration.�

jsiegel@dispatch.com

@phrontpage