Paid Family Leave For Garden State Gays

In another step forward towards marriage equality, New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine signed a law on Friday which mandates paid family leave for same-sex partners as well as married heterosexuals.

Under the New Jersey law, workers can apply for up to six weeks off to care for a newborn or newly adopted child, or a sick parent, child, spouse or partner, and collect up to two-thirds of their pay, up to a maximum of $524 a week.

The new law explicitly includes married spouses, as well as civil union partners under the Civil Union Act enacted in December 2006, and domestic partners through the Domestic Partnership Act enacted in January 2004.

New Jersey becomes the second state after California to offer paid family leave for same-sex partners. Washington is the only other state to offer such paid leave at all, and there it only covers leave to care for sick children. Steven Goldstein of Garden State Equality, says, "This new law is the latest indication that our state is ready to give same-sex couples the freedom to marry."