The Californian system is a system that is both similar and different. For salaried workers, the system provides 52 weeks of benefits at a rate that could reach as high as nearly 1,000 $ a week. For self-employed workers who chose to participate, 39 weeks of benefits are available at the same rate, after a one-week waiting period, following a six-month trial. People are free to withdraw from the system after two years if they so wish. In this scheme, there are also family benefits that are similar to our maternity and parental benefits, but their duration is of only six weeks. They are therefore less generous, and would probably not bring about the additional costs that we would have with our system, obviously, because our one year of benefits are much more generous than California's six weeks. Nevertheless, their scheme covers a series of benefits that are quite similar.
On December 10th, 2009. See this statement in context.