The United States is ahead of the game in many things, but paid family leave is not one of them. According to New York Times, the US is one of only six countries and the only “rich country” without nationally paid family and medical leave. While efforts to secure this required law on a national level have stalled, several states have slowly enacted their own policies requiring employers to provide paid leave.
Maine is the latest state to jump on the bandwagon and the thirteenth (along with Washington DC) to draft and enact its own paid family and medical leave laws. Signed into law by Governor Janet Mills on July 10, LD 1964 provides up to 12 weeks of paid vacation per year to all eligible employees in the private and public sectors. While the 12 weeks is a bit shy of the 29 week average offered in 186 other countries, it proves to be a valuable addition and one of the longest paid vacation periods in the US.
Employees can use paid family and medical leave for a variety of reasons. From caring for a family member with a serious health condition to giving birth to a child. To pay for this new program, the state will levy a 1 percent payroll tax, split equally between employer and employee.
Maine will begin assessing a 1 percent payroll tax in 2025, and employees will be able to begin taking paid family and medical leave in 2026. While many have applauded Maine’s forward thinking when it comes to giving parents the resources they need, others aren’t too happy about losing their tax dollars.
Beyond politics and numbers, studies show that family and medical fees have a real impact on babies and their families. Researchers at Tulane University recently found that just three months of federally mandated paid parental leave could save the lives of nearly 1,000 babies each year. Paid family and medical leave can also often mean the difference between going into debt or saving for a baby’s education and making progress in your return to work or struggling to keep your head above water.
You can see if your state is one of 13 with paid family and medical leave and where it ranks in terms of benefits here.
