skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Maine Gets a B- in Helping Parents in the Workplace.

play audio
Play

Monday, June 23, 2014   

PORTLAND, Maine – Maine gets a B-minus in a report analyzing how each state supports – or doesn't support – new parents in terms of such things as leave time and job protection.

The report, from the National Partnership for Women and Families, acknowledges where Maine goes beyond what the federal government requires in family and pregnancy disability leave.

Maine law also defines family more broadly than federal law to include domestic partners, the children of domestic partners and cohabiting siblings.

"Well, Maine has done a lot to expand workers' rights to take an unpaid job-protected leave when a new child joins a family or when a family member is seriously ill,” says Vicki Shabo, one of the report's authors.

The report, titled "Expecting Better: A State-by-State Analysis of Laws That Help New Parents," is being released to coincide with today's White House Summit on Working Families.

Shabo says some discouraging grades were handed out nationwide.

"The state with the highest grade is California, which received an A minus,” she says. “But a striking 17 states receive an F.

“They do nothing at all beyond what federal law provides to help new and expecting parents. Thirty-one states in total get a grade of D or F."

Still, Shabo says she finds reason for optimism in the report.

"Since our last report, we've seen a number of states take action to support new and expecting parents,” she says. “So there is progress on the horizon."

The group's previous report was in 2012.

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York is a co-sponsor of the Family and Medical Leave Act, or FAMILY Act, which would establish a national paid family and medical leave insurance program.





get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021