SB590 - Paid family leave: eligibility: care for designated persons.

Senate Bill No. 590 CHAPTER 772 An act to amend, repeal, and add Sections 3301, 3302, and 3303 of the Unemployment Insurance Code, relating to disability compensation, and making an appropriation therefor. [ Approved by Governor October 13, 2025. Filed with Secretary of State October 13, 2025. ] LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 590, Durazo. Paid family leave: eligibility: care for designated persons. Existing unemployment compensation disability law requires workers to pay contribution rates based on, among other things, wages received in employment and benefit disbursement, for payment into the Unemployment Compensation Disability Fund, a special fund in the State Treasury. That fund is continuously appropriated for the purpose of providing disability benefits and making payment of expenses in administering those provisions. Existing law establishes, within the above 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 for up to 8 weeks to workers who take time off work for prescribed purposes, including to care for a seriously ill family member. Existing law defines terms for its purposes, including family care leave and family member. This bill would, commencing July 1, 2028, expand eligibility for benefits under the paid family leave program to include individuals who take time off work to care for a seriously ill designated person. The bill would define designated person to mean any care recipient related by blood or whose association with the individual is the equivalent of a family relationship, and would make conforming changes to the definitions of the terms family care leave and family member. This bill would require an individual that requests for the first time family temporary disability insurance benefits to care for a designated person to identify the designated person and, under penalty of perjury, attest to how the individual is related by blood to the designated person, or how the individual’s association with the designated person is the equivalent of a family relationship. By expanding the scope of the crime of perjury, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. By authorizing expenditures from the continuously appropriated fund for these expanded purposes, this bill would make an appropriation. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. Digest Key Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: YES Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: YES Bill Text The people of the State of California do enact as follows: SECTION 1. Section 3301 of the Unemployment Insurance Code is amended to read: 3301. (a) (1) The purpose of this chapter is to establish, within the state disability insurance program, a family temporary disability insurance program. Family temporary disability insurance shall provide up to eight weeks of wage replacement benefits to workers who take time off work to care for a seriously ill child, spouse, parent, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, or domestic partner, to bond with a minor child within one year of the birth or placement of the child in connection with foster care or adoption, or to participate in a qualifying exigency related to the covered active duty or call to covered active duty of the individual’s spouse, domestic partner, child, or parent in the Armed Forces of the United States. (2) Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to abridge the rights and responsibilities conveyed under the California Family Rights Act or pregnancy disability leave. (b) (1) An individual’s “weekly benefit amount” for periods of disability commencing before January 1, 2025, shall be the amount provided in Section 2655, and for periods of disability commencing on or after January 1, 2025, shall be the amount provided in paragraph (2). An individual is eligible to receive family temporary disability insurance benefits equal to one-seventh of the individual’s weekly benefit amount for each full day during which the individual is unable to work due to caring for a seriously ill or injured family member, bonding with a minor child within one year of the birth or placement of the child in connection with foster care or adoption, or participating in a qualifying exigency related to the covered active duty or call to covered active duty of the individual’s spouse, domestic partner, child, or parent in the Armed Forces of the United States. (2) For periods of disability commencing on or after January 1, 2025, the weekly benefit amount shall be as follows: (A) When the amount of wages paid to the individual for employment by employers during the quarter of the individual’s disability base period in which these wages were highest is less than seven hundred twenty-two dollars and fifty cents ($722.50), then fifty dollars ($50). (B) When the amount of wages paid to the individual for employment by employers during the quarter of the individual’s disability base period in which these wages were highest is more than 70 percent of the state average quarterly wage, the weekly benefit amount shall be equal to the greater of 70 percent of the wages paid to an individual for employment by employers during the quarter of the individual’s disability base period in which these wages were highest, divided by 13, but not exceeding the maximum workers’ compensation temporary disability indemnity weekly benefit amount established by the Department of Industrial Relations pursuant to Section 4453 of the Labor Code, or 63 percent of the state average weekly wage. (C) When the amount of wages paid to the individual for employment by employers during the quarter of the individual’s disability base period in which these wages were highest is seven hundred twenty-two dollars and fifty cents ($722.50) or more, but 70 percent or less than the state average quarterly wage, then the weekly benefit amount shall be equal to 90 percent of the wages paid to an individual for employment by employers during the quarter of the individual’s disability base period in which these wages were highest, divided by 13, but not exceeding the maximum workers’ compensation temporary disability indemnity weekly benefit amount established by the Department of Industrial Relations pursuant to Section 4453 of the Labor Code. (3) For purposes of this subdivision, “state average weekly wage” and “state average quarterly wage” have the same meanings as defined in subdivision (g) of Section 2655. (c) The maximum amount payable to an individual during any disability benefit period for family temporary disability insurance shall be eight times the individual’s “weekly benefit amount,” but in no case shall the total amount of benefits payable be more than the total wages paid to the individual during the individual’s disability base period. If the benefit is not a multiple of one dollar ($1), it shall be computed to the next higher multiple of one dollar ($1). (d) No more than eight weeks of family temporary disability insurance benefits shall be paid within any 12-month period. (e) An individual shall file a claim for family temporary disability insurance benefits not later than the 41st consecutive day following the first compensable day with respect to which the claim is made for benefits, which time shall be extended by the department upon a showing of good cause. If a first claim is not complete, the claim form shall be returned to the claimant for completion and it shall be completed and returned not later than the 10th consecutive day after the date it was mailed by the department to the claimant, except that such time shall be extended by the department upon a showing of good cause. (f) This section shall remain in effect only until Section 3301.5 is incorporated in the Employment Development Department’s integrated claims management system as part of the EDDNext project, and as of that date is repealed. (g) This section shall remain in effect only until July 1, 2028, and as of that date is repealed. SEC. 2. Section 3301 is added to the Unemployment Insurance Code, to read: 3301. (a) (1) The purpose of this chapter is to establish, within the state disability insurance program, a family temporary disability insurance program. Family temporary disability insurance shall provide up to eight weeks of wage replacement benefits to workers who take time off work to care for a seriously ill child, spouse, parent, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, domestic partner, or designated person, to bond with a minor child within one year of the birth or placement of the child in connection with foster care or adoption, or to participate in a qualifying exigency related to the covered active duty or call to covered active duty of the individual’s spouse, domestic partner, child, or parent in the Armed Forces of the United States. (2) Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to abridge the rights and responsibilities conveyed under the California Family Rights Act or pregnancy disability leave. (b) (1) An individual’s “weekly benefit amount” for periods of disability commencing before January 1, 2025, shall be the amount provided in Section 2655, and for periods of disability commencing on or after January 1, 2025, shall be the amount provided in paragraph (2). An individual is eligible to receive family temporary disability insurance benefits equal to one-seventh of the individual’s weekly benefit amount for each full day during which the individual is unable to work due to caring for a seriously ill or injured family member, bonding with a minor child within one year of the birth or placement of the child in connection with foster care or adoption, or participating in a qualifying exigency related to the covered active duty or call to covered active duty of the individual’s spouse, domestic partner, child, or parent in the Armed Forces of the United States. (2) For periods of disability commencing on or after January 1, 2025, the weekly benefit amount shall be as follows: (A) When the amount of wages paid to the individual for employment by employers during the quarter of the individual’s disability base period in which these wages were highest is less than seven hundred twenty-two dollars and fifty cents ($722.50), then fifty dollars ($50). (B) When the amount of wages paid to the individual for employment by employers during the quarter of the individual’s disability base period in which these wages were highest is more than 70 percent of the state average quarterly wage, the weekly benefit amount shall be equal to the greater of 70 percent of the wages paid to an individual for employment by employers during the quarter of the individual’s disability base period in which these wages were highest, divided by 13, but not exceeding the maximum workers’ compensation temporary disability indemnity weekly benefit amount established by the Department of Industrial Relations pursuant to Section 4453 of the Labor Code, or 63 percent of the state average weekly wage. (C) When the amount of wages paid to the individual for employment by employers during the quarter of the individual’s disability base period in which these wages were highest is seven hundred twenty-two dollars and fifty cents ($722.50) or more, but 70 percent or less than the state average quarterly wage, then the weekly benefit amount shall be equal to 90 percent of the wages paid to an individual for employment by employers during the quarter of the individual’s disability base period in which these wages were highest, divided by 13, but not exceeding the maximum workers’ compensation temporary disability indemnity weekly benefit amount established by the Department of Industrial Relations pursuant to Section 4453 of the Labor Code. (3) For purposes of this subdivision, “state average weekly wage” and “state average quarterly wage” have the same meanings as defined in subdivision (g) of Section 2655. (c) The maximum amount payable to an individual during any disability benefit period for family temporary disability insurance shall be eight times the individual’s “weekly benefit amount,” but in no case shall the total amount of benefits payable be more than the total wages paid to the individual during the individual’s disability base period. If the benefit is not a multiple of one dollar ($1), it shall be computed to the next higher multiple of one dollar ($1). (d) No more than eight weeks of family temporary disability insurance benefits shall be paid within any 12-month period. (e) An individual shall file a claim for family temporary disability insurance benefits not later than the 41st consecutive day following the first compensable day with respect to which the claim is made for benefits, which time shall be extended by the department upon a showing of good cause. If a first claim is not complete, the claim form shall be returned to the claimant for completion and it shall be completed and returned not later than the 10th consecutive day after the date it was mailed by the department to the claimant, except that such time shall be extended by the department upon a showing of good cause. (f) This section shall remain in effect only until Section 3301.5 is incorporated in the Employment Development Department’s integrated claims management system as part of the EDDNext project, and as of that date is repealed. (g) This section shall become operative on July 1, 2028. SEC. 3. Section 3302 of the Unemployment Insurance Code is amended to read: 3302. On and after July 1, 2014, for purposes of this part: (a) “Care recipient” means the family member who is receiving care for a serious health condition or the new child with whom the care provider is bonding. For the purposes of a qualifying exigency as set forth in Section 3302.2, “care recipient” also includes the military member, or child or parent of the military member, who is receiving assistance, or the employee who is participating in a qualifying exigency. (b) “Care provider” means the family member who is providing the required care for a serious health condition; the family member who is bonding with the new child; or the employee who is participating in a qualifying exigency as provided in Section 3302.2. (c) “Child” means a biological, adopted, or foster son or daughter, a stepson or stepdaughter, a legal ward, a son or daughter of a domestic partner, or the person to whom the employee stands in loco parentis. (d) “Domestic partner” has the same meaning as defined in Section 297 of the Family Code. (e) “Family care leave” means any of the following: (1) Leave to bond with a minor child within the first year of the child’s birth or placement in connection with foster care o [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]