Colorado expands paid leave for NICU parents
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Colorado became the first state to offer extended paid family leave to parents with infants in the neonatal intensive care units after Gov. Jared Polis (D) signed the policy into law on Friday.
Why it matters: Parents will be able to take up to 12 extra weeks while their infants are in the NICU, where parental engagement has been linked to better developmental outcomes.
Catch up quick: Colorado voters in 2020 passed a ballot initiative that secured 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave each year. The policy went into effect at the start of 2024.
- Colorado lawmakers' willingness to expand the law shows how well it's already working, Jared Make, vice president of the advocacy group A Better Balance, told Axios.
What they're saying: "Having a child in the NICU is one of the most terrifying moments as a parent, and the last thing they should be worried about is having to choose between spending time with their child in the hospital and keeping their jobs," state Rep. Yara Zokaie (D), a bill sponsor, said in a statement when it passed out of committee in April.
- Zokaie said she had to work from the hospital while her infant was in the NICU.
Zoom out: Thirteen states and D.C. have mandatory paid family and medical leave policies.
- Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) earlier this year vetoed a bill that would've enacted a paid sick leave policy in the state. He also vetoed a similar bill in 2024.
