Momentum continues to build for paid family and medical leave across the country in the most exciting legislative session for paid family and medical leave bills yet. We’re working with coalition partners on bills across the country, providing drafting assistance and key legal and policy support.
Last week, Senior Staff Attorney Molly Weston Williamson testified before the Senate committee on Maryland’s paid family and medical leave bill. We also submitted hearing testimony in Connecticut, where the paid leave bill was introduced as Senate Bill 1, indicating the top Senate priority; Governor Ned Lamont has also introduced his own proposal.
ABB and Senior Staff Attorney Jared Make, who is based in Denver, have been especially involved on the ground working to pass paid family and medical leave in Colorado, where legislation was introduced last week. In addition to providing legal support and participating in the coalition’s policy committee, ABB is also co-sponsoring a rally related to the bill’s introduction this Wednesday.
In Tennessee, we helped draft the Tennessee State Family Leave Act, which has been introduced in the House and will be voted on in committee in the next few weeks.
Senior Staff Attorney and Director of the Southern Office Elizabeth Gedmark and Policy Associate Feroza Freeland met with the bill’s sponsor and other lawmakers to discuss the bill during the annual Tennessee Women’s Day on the Hill on February 26.
We’re also proud to have worked with partners on bills introduced in Indiana, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia, with more states looking to introduce bills later in this session.
We will continue to be a critical resource for coalitions across the country that wish to join the growing ranks of states that provide paid family and medical leave to their workers. We won’t stop fighting until all workers across the country have the paid family and medical leave they need.
