The Georgia Job Family Collaborative (www.gaworkingfamilies.org) will be introducing a new legislative strategy during the second term of the 2009-2010. This strategy will be twofold; 1st the 9to5 Work/ Family Support Committee will prepare a platform of issues to be included in the 2010 "Election Connection" outreach materials, 2nd the Collaborative has plans to introduce new work/family friendly legislation into the State House and/ or Senate during the second term of the 2009-2010 General Assembly Session.

This is the second of two surveys that we have asked you to complete. The information you share will help the committee to prioritize work family issues in order of importance for 9to5 members, community allies and local working women throughout the state of Georgia, as well as, help determine the legislative strategy for the upcoming General Assembly session.

To assist you with the completion of the survey we have a provided a list of terms with definitions included below:

Paid Leave - When an employee takes leave away from the workplace with permission of the employer, but continues to receive salary or wages during that period of time. Paid leave takes on several different forms.

Paid Sick Time/ Sick Leave: An employee benefit in the form of paid leave, which workers can use during periods of temporary sickness or to stay home and address their health and safety needs without losing pay or their jobs. In some places of employment it is a workplace policy, and in many jurisdictions it is codified into law. Some policies allow workers paid time off to attend doctor visits or to care for family members.

Family Friendly Health-care Benefits:Health/ Dental/ Vision insurance provided by and paid in full by the employer for the employee and her immediate family.

Flexible Work Arrangements: Flexible work arrangements include job-sharing, part-time work,compressed workweeks, working from home, returning to work gradually after family leave, and atypical schedules.

Childcare Benefits: When workers receive child-care resource and/ or referral services from their employers. This can include dependent care reimbursement accounts,in which part of the employees salary is set aside each month on a pre-tax basis to pay for eligible child-care expenses.

Family-Friendly Workplace: An employer (individual person, company, or organization) who implements policies that provide employees with programs and services that encourage employee health and well-being, support employee commitment to family responsibilities and seek to positively impact impact the work-family challenge that many working families face.