Senate subcommittee advances bill to extend paid-family leave protections for military families

Assemblymember Gibson presented AB 2054 to the Senate subcommittee on June 22, saying the bill updates the definition of covered active duty to reflect modern military service and deployments that remove service members from the home for extended periods, including domestic activations for disasters.

Kelly Mae Douglas, who testified on behalf of the Department of Defense, said the bill would support military readiness by allowing service members to focus on missions without worrying about whether family members can access leave and benefits. Douglas noted California’s military families include over 240,000 service members and nearly 90,000 military spouses in the state.

Supporters at the mic included representatives of Navy Region Southwest, the California Association of County Veterans Service Officers and members of veterans organizations, who emphasized short-notice activations of National Guard and reserve forces and the need for consistent state protections.

Committee members described the bill as updating paid-family-leave to better reflect how service is performed today and moved AB 2054 out of the subcommittee for further consideration. The record shows affirmative votes on the motion to move the bill to the appropriations committee.