By Susan Schoenfeld, JD
In an all-out blitz, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has undertaken a number of efforts to encourage states and private employers to support paid leave. Included in those efforts:
 |
- President Obama’s 2016 budget includes more than $2 billion in new funds to encourage states to develop paid family and medical leave programs.
- In 2015, the DOL awarded $1 million in grants to help states and municipalities to conduct feasibility studies for paid leave programs.
- In 2014, the DOL’s Women’s Bureau awarded $500,000 in grants to three states and the District of Columbia, to investigate and develop paid leave initiatives.
The Obama Administration’s investment in paid leave has paid off. Prior to 2014, there were only four paid sick leave laws in effect nationwide. That number has grown exponentially in the past 2 years to over two dozen laws and ordinances covering several states and numerous cities and counties.