Democratic women in the California Legislature say they're looking to build on successes from 2015, which included enactment of a strong equal pay law.
The California Legislative Women's Caucus on Thursday announced its priorities for the coming year -- and new steps to achieve workplace equity were a major theme. Among the group's proposals is a bill that would provide three months of job-protected maternity and paternity leave for new parents working at companies that employ five or more people. Another measure would prohibit employers from asking for candidates' salary histories. A third would require employers to give employees adequate advance notice of their schedules.
Santa Barbara state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson says the caucus will also request $800 million in the budget to shore up California's state-supported child care system.
"Building and rebuilding the infrastructure that supports our workforce, women and families must be part of California's public priorities for this year," she said.
The caucus is also pushing a bill that would eliminate the maximum family grant rule. That limits the amount of aid families enrolled in the state's welfare program can receive for their children.