Trump unveils family leave plan that echoes N.J. law

Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump made a stop in suburban Philadelphia to unveil his family leave plan Tuesday night. To offer six weeks of maternity leave (or other family leave) the plan would draw upon the unemployment insurance system, similar to New Jersey’s Paid Family Leave Act. 

Dave Heller is joined by Jon Whiten, vice-president of New Jersey Policy Perspective, to discuss Mr. Trump’s plan and how it stacks up against the Garden State’s program.

Trump would not collect more taxes for the unemployment fund to bankroll these benefits.  Instead, he wants to crack down on people collecting unemployment improperly and use the savings to pay for the new benefit.  When asked how feasible that is, Whiten said, “pronouncements like that which I believe are rooted in this idea that they can find enough money to do these benefits but just rooting out fraud, you just have to wonder if the numbers are going to add up.” New Jersey’s plan is funded by a small wage tax.

New Jersey’s Family Leave Act was at the vanguard when it was unveiled seven years ago but that is no longer the case, “we’ve seen, particularly in the past couple years, other states other states are catching up to New Jersey and actually starting to surpass New Jersey in how well their paid leave programs are designed.”