State-mandated paid leave programs now cover millions of American workers

A novel analysis released this week shows that nearly one-third of the nation’s private-sector workers are covered by paid leave programs as more states require employers to provide medical and family leave.

Currently, the District of Columbia and 13 states have passed laws requiring paid leave for many workers, says a report from the National Partnership for Women & Families, a nonprofit organization that advocates for reproductive rights, health and economic justice, and workplace equality.

“States have changed the paradigm now that more than 46 million workers across the United States are covered by paid family and medical leave programs, leading the way for the rest of the country,” Jessica Mason, senior policy analyst at the organization, said in a press release.

Programs they differ in designbut they generally guarantee payments when employees take time off due to illness or to care for a child or other loved one. They are funded by employer and employee contributions, similar to unemployment insurance or payroll taxes, that cover part of an employee’s pay when he or she takes time off.

Report quotes tests shows that employers operating in multiple states often respond to local paid ill leave laws by providing paid ill leave to their employees even in places that do not have such requirements.

This year, Delaware, Maine and Minnesota started or planned to start offering benefits under novel paid leave programs. AND Tthe report cites growing momentum in six additional states: Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Virginia. If these states were to implement paid leave policies, The analysis found that 44% of workers nationwide would have access to paid family and medical leave.

In Virginia, lawmakers in both chambers approved bills guaranteeing up to 12 weeks of paid family leave. Although previous efforts were vetoed by former Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, current Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger is expected to sign the bill when the final version reaches her desk, Virginia Mercury reported.

In January address to lawmakers, Spanberger said that “being pro-business and being pro-worker are not mutually exclusive.”

“We can support business growth and invest in our workforce. We can attract new businesses and protect workers. … That’s why we will create a statewide paid family and medical leave program.”

Virginia is predicted to spend about $116.51 million on startup costs in fiscal years 2027 and 2028. By 2031, the program is expected to spend $2.1 billion annually on benefits financed by payroll taxes.

Opponents often cite the costs of paid leave programs and the burdens they place on businesses. Last month, Virginia Republican Del. Michael Webert, said that enormous corporations can afford the novel costs and administrative burdens, but not smaller employers.

“The impact is not going to fall evenly,” he said before the event House vote last month.

In much of the Midwest and South, state laws prohibit local governments from requiring employers to provide paid ill leave. IN 18 statescities are effectively deprived of the power to establish their own labor protection measures.

Stateline reporter Kevin Hardy can be reached at: khardy@stateline.org.