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A state Senate panel advanced a bill Monday that would聽聽to businesses聽with at least 15 workers, a change from the current threshold of 30 employees.

has seen some changes since it passed the Assembly in February. It had initially lowered the worker threshold to five, to widespread criticism from the business community. Business groups remain opposed, saying that encompassing businesses with fewer than 30 employees would deter hiring and potentially force small businesses to close their doors.

鈥淣ew Jersey small businesses are already shouldering some of the highest operating costs in the country, including labor, insurance, property taxes, and compliance obligations,鈥� said Amirah Hussain of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce. 鈥淚mposing these mandates introduces a new layer of risk and unpredictability.鈥�

Yarrow Willman-Cole, with consumer advocacy group New Jersey Citizen Action, testified in favor of the bill, saying 1.7 million workers are not covered by the state鈥檚 current family leave law.

鈥淲e passed paid family leave 17 years ago. It took us 10 years to improve it. It should not take another decade to get this right,鈥� Willman-Cole said. 鈥淥ur laws should reflect our society鈥檚 growing caregiving needs. New Jersey is, in fact, not keeping up.鈥�

The Senate Judiciary Committee鈥檚 Republicans and Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen), the panel鈥檚 chair, voted against advancing the bill.

New Jersey law requires that businesses provide eligible workers with up to 12 weeks of paid leave to bond with a new child or to care for a loved one. Workers pay into the fund that pays out benefits, and the benefits are based on a worker鈥檚 earnings. Workers鈥� jobs are protected until their leave ends.

The committee amended the bill Monday to include employees who have worked for a company for six months 鈥� current law says 12 months 鈥� and for 500 hours, down from 1,000 hours. The bill would take two years to phase in.

Elizabeth Zuckerman of the state chapter of the National Employment Lawyers Association said that whatever 鈥渟mall burden鈥� the bill puts on an employer is justified to keep parents from choosing between bonding with their children or keeping their job.

鈥淲e are a pro-family country. We should support our families by allowing employers or encouraging employers to give employees time off when they need to care for a child or a family member,鈥� Zuckerman said.

Businesses remain concerned that the bill would put an 鈥渦nsustainable burden鈥� on small employers, said Frank Jones with Big I New Jersey, which advises independent and locally owned insurance agencies.

Jones said he supports the goal of the bill to give more workers access to family leave, but when businesses with 15 employees lose one person, it鈥檚 difficult for the remaining workers to juggle the work. He also said it would drive up liability insurance costs. He stressed that paid benefits and job-protected reinstatement should be separate issues.

鈥淭he mandatory reinstatement requirement, regardless of business conditions, removes the flexibility small business employers need to survive,鈥� Jones said. 鈥淎gencies may be forced to permanently restructure or hire to maintain client service, only to face liability for not reinstating later, even if decisions were made in good faith.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. New Jersey Monitor maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Terrence T. McDonald for questions: [email protected].

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