California Senate OKs expanded protections for family leave

ADAM BEAM

Associated Press

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Workers in companies with at least five employees could take up to three months off from work to care for a family member without fear of losing their job under a bill that narrowly passed the California Senate on Thursday.

California was one of the first states to make sure some workers keep getting paid when they take time off to care for a family member. The money doesn't come from companies, but from state disability insurance taxes the workers pay.

But many people who work for smaller companies don't use the program because they are not guarant...