Those Crazy Californians

I can't take credit for this but Washington Reporter did such a great job I felt I should pass it on. (guess it's a good thing I grabbed this, he's been banned on FL Today)


As if families in economically hard hit California aren't already struggling in the Obama economy.  Now the Democrats in the state legislature have passed a bill that will require folks who employ babysitters, housekeepers & care givers to also pay to provide workers comp, paid vacations, rest breaks, and meal breaks.

Their domestic help cannot work more than two hours straight, and a relief person must be brought in to provide the relief.

This places an undue burden on families with small children, and seniors who need help taking care of an ailing spouse, etc.

There is going to be a lot of new people joining the ranks of the unemployed as a result of this stupid law.

The cost of childcare is already prohibitively high for many families, and this will only make it harder for families to make ends meet.

None of these legitimate concerns bother the leftwing fringe.  The Nanny-staters believe they know best.

It is a needless attack on families.

Babysitting bill in Calif. Legislature

August, 30 2011
Office of Sen. Doug LaMalfa
Special to The Union

How will parents react when they find out they will be expected to provide workers' compensation benefits, rest and meal breaks and paid vacation time for…babysitters? Dinner and a movie night may soon become much more complicated.

Assembly Bill 889 (authored by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, will require these protections for all “domestic employees,” including nannies, housekeepers and caregivers.

The bill has already passed the Assembly and is quickly moving through the Senate with blanket support from the Democrat members that control both houses of the Legislature – and without the support of a single Republican member. Assuming the bill will easily clear its last couple of legislative hurdles, AB 889 will soon be on its way to the Governor's desk.

Under AB 889, household “employers” (aka “parents”) who hire a babysitter on a Friday night will be legally obligated to pay at least minimum wage to any sitter over the age of 18 (unless it is a family member), provide a substitute caregiver every two hours to cover rest and meal breaks, in addition to workers' compensation coverage, overtime pay, and a meticulously calculated timecard/paycheck.

Failure to abide by any of these provisions may result in a legal cause of action against the employer including cumulative penalties, attorneys' fees, legal costs and expenses associated with hiring expert witnesses, an unprecedented measure of legal recourse provided no other class of workers – from agricultural laborers to garment manufacturers. (On the bright side, language requiring an hour of paid vacation time for every 30 hours worked was amended out of the bill in the Senate.)

Unfortunately, the unreasonable costs and risks contained in this bill will discourage folks from hiring housekeepers, nannies and babysitters and increase the use of institutionalized care rather than allowing children, the sick or elderly to be cared for in their homes. I can't help but wonder if that is the goal of AB 889 – a terrible bill that needs to be stopped.

More information on the text and status of the bill can be accessed from my webpage at senate.ca.gov/lamalfa.

http://nation.foxnews.com/babysitting/2011/08/31/california-wants-parents-provide-workers-comp-paid-vacation-babysitters
Read more: http://www.theunion.com/ARTICLE/20110830/BREAKINGNEWS/110839991/-1/RSS#ixzz1Wiq4pMqk