Abigail Spanberger rates endless scorn for her newly passed “Family Leave Act.” It is feel-goodism on steroids. An employee gets 12 weeks off for any number of reasons at 80% of the average state wage. Everybody in the Commonwealth is taxed for this benefit. One can work for 40 or 50 years, have the state withdraw money from every paycheck, and never avail oneself of “family leave.”
Every employee will be eligible for 12 weeks of paid leave every year. Eligibility is not just for having a child. It exists if the employee “claims” to be taking care of someone with health problems or if the employee “claims” to have health issues. That’s not all. The statute also provides for paid leave for “legal assistance, counseling, relocation assistance, law enforcement help, medical treatment, home security,” etc. Definitions so broad that virtually everybody can find a way to take a paid, 12-week vacation every year.
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