Yesterday, the Senate Tax Committee passed their 2016 tax bill, which includes paid family leave.

Already, conservative groups are attacking the proposal, calling it a tax on businesses.

The Senate provision would create a mandatory unpaid leave of 12 weeks to care for a newborn or sick loved one for employers of 21 or more, along with an insurance benefit program for pregnancy, bonding with a new child and family care.

The insurance benefit would be funded similarly to unemployment insurance, with both the employee and employer paying into the paid leave insurance fund (an estimated $89 per year each). Employees would receive a percentage of their wages based on previous earnings.

The majority of Americans support paid family leave, seeing it as a major benefit towards a healthy work and family life, but conservatives are once again protecting corporate special interests instead of everyone else, showing no regard for the parents, children and families who would benefit from statewide paid leave.

Recognizing the way families live and work has changed – through providing paid family leave – is an important step to make Minnesota’s economy work better for everyone, not just the wealthy.