State lawmakers want to develop a framework for a paid family leave program.

Ashley Mizuo of Hawai‘i Public Radio reports that "The House Labor Committee advanced a resolution to create a working group to produce a report on paid family leave that could include proposed legislation. The working group would include state officials, lawmakers, nonprofits, the private sector and unions"

Betty Lou Larson with Catholic Charities said a paid family leave program would help many of the people who ask her organization for help. "We strongly support this because this is the kind of clientele that will come to our agency and we don't want to have them choose between having a job and caring for a loved one, whether it's an elder, a disabled child, a newborn — all of those are situations with our clients can put them in homelessness because... they're struggling to pay the basic bills," she said.

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