It's not often that I get to say nice things about New Jersey politicians. But a group of them did something very smart yesterday and I'd like to bring it to your attention.

The New Jersey Senate's Budget and Appropriations Committee approved, 8-6, a bill that extends the state's Temporary Disability Benefits law to cover those caring for sick family members, newborns or--drumroll please--newly adopted children. If the bill, which grants 10 weeks of partially paid leave, is approved by the full Senate and signed by the governor, it would make New Jersey the third state in the United States (after California and Washington) to offer partially paid family leave.

(Thanks to Gretchen Boger-O'Bryan, a birth mother who blogs at "musings:mamahood&more" and Sandra over at the International Adoption blog for giving the heads up about the New Jersey legislation. Gretchen, or "mamagigi" as she styles herself, has been tracking Trenton's bill for some time.)

The bill, which would apply to businesses with 50 or more employees, now goes to the full Senate for a vote, which is unlikely to happen before legislators wrap up work for the summer. And as the split in the committee vote indicates, it is likely to have a tough road ahead.

The president of the New Jersey Business and Industry Association yesterday called on its members to oppose the bill because it would add to companies' cost of doing business in New Jersey.

Gimme a break.

Healthcare cost increases here are sickening (the NJBIA's own research put the premium increase at 11.3% for 2006), local and state governments spend like drunks in a bar and our property taxes are among the highest in the nation and the NJBIA has a problem with New Jerseyans building families???

New Jersey's Department of Children and Families doesn't seem to track how many children are adopted by families in the state every year. The state's Department of Health and Senior Services put total births for 2006 at 98,189 as of January 2007.

But while I see quite a few New Jersey towns listed on the profiles of Russia Adoption forum members, they may not be covered by the new bill. To receive a paid leave, they would have to work for a business based in New Jersey, not just be residents here. And I would imagine that there are more than a few prospective Russian adoptive parents who find themselves in the same boat as I was once in--living here, but working for a business based across state lines.