Twenty years ago, California made PFML a benefit for all of its residents. Since then, 12 other states and the District of Columbia have done the same. Hawaiʻi can be the next state to demonstrate its support for ʻohana.
Many in Hawaiʻi cannot take time off from work to take care of a new child or a family member with a serious illness or injury without giving up their pay. They also cannot take time off to care for themselves. PFML can be the catalyst we need to make Hawaiʻi a better place to live and work.
PFML allows workers to take time off and still receive part of their income when they need to care for others or themselves. This empowers individuals to be economically resilient instead of having to rely upon government services. Those who need PFML the most are the least likely to have this important benefit.
Some may mistakenly think Hawaiʻi employees already have this benefit. The Family Medical Leave Act and Hawaiʻi Family Leave Law offer unpaid leave and this benefit is limited to employees of larger companies.
Click here to learn more about the benefits of PFML, and how it would work in Hawai‘i.
Over the past several years, there has already been extensive analysis of this issue. Now it's time to implement this benefit.
2017: The Hawaiʻi State Commission on the Status of Women was awarded a U.S. Department of Labor grant to analyze how PFML could work in Hawaiʻi, with input from national experts and local organizations. The family leave analysis report and feasibility study includes an economic analysis and eligibility and benefit modeling.
2019: A Legislative Reference Bureau analysis reviewed impacts of a PFML program on industry, consumers, employees, employers and caregivers. That report included Hawaiʻi-based cost breakdowns as well as options for compliance and enforcement of a proposed PFML program.
2024: A recent analysis determined that a minimum wage worker would pay less than $2 per week in to the system (assuming that their employer matched that amount) and receive $504 per week in benefits. An average worker would pay about $4 per week and receive $930 per week in benefits.
2025: A survey commissioned by Hawaiʻi Children's Action Network reaffirmed that the majority of Hawaiʻi residents want PFML.
In the states with a PFML program, the average payroll deduction is 0.69% of wages, usually split between employers and employees. In comparison, Hawaiʻi employers typically pay about 0.5% of wages for the limited benefits of TDI. Implementing a PFML program in Hawaiʻi would require a payroll deduction of 0.7% of wages. Employers could cover all of the payroll deductions (0.7% of wages) or have their employees pay up to half (0.35%). Employers would no longer need to pay 0.5% in TDI premiums, and they would not need to pay their employees while they were on leave, because they would be paid from the state fund.
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