The Progressive Midwesterner

According to the National Partnership for Women and Families , only four U.S. states (California, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island), as well the District of Columbia, currently have paid family leave programs, with two other states, Massachusetts and the State of Washington, set to implement paid family leave programs in the near future. Now, legislation has been proposed in two states, Illinois and North Dakota, to create paid family leave programs in those states. There are some differences between the Illinois proposal and the North Dakota proposal, but both proposals would require private-sector employers with at least 50 employees to provide paid leave for employees who take leave because of the birth of the employee's child and to allow the employee to care for a family member who is seriously ill. In Illinois, Illinois State Representative Mary Flowers (D-Chicago) has proposed a paid family leave act here in Illinois (Illinois HB0009). Here is the synopsis of the p...

As I do not live in Wisconsin, I was unable to attend this year's Democratic Party of Wisconsin (DPW) convention in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, so I wasn't able to hear Kelda Roys address the convention. However, someone at the Kelda Roys campaign for the Democratic nomination for Governor of Wisconsin live-tweeted highlights of her speech, and I'll post a few tweets from the livetweet in question below: In our Wisconsin, every baby will be welcomed by parents who have 12 weeks of paid leave. #WiDems18 #Kelda2018 — Kelda Roys (@keldahelenroys) June 1, 2018 It’s time to unleash the real power of our economy by allowing student loan refinancing, expanding public service repayment, and making all UW’s 2 year colleges tuition free. #WiDems18 #Kelda2018 — Kelda Roys (@keldahelenroys) June 1, 2018 And as a mother and your next governor, it’s time to stand up to the gun manufacturers lobby and pass meaningful gun safety laws. #WiDems18 #Kelda2018 — Kelda Roys (@keldah...