Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer proposed enacting a paid family leave program, a 100% clean energy standard and codifying the Affordable Care Act in her “What’s Next” speech that outlined the fall agenda Wednesday morning.
The second-term Democratic governor outlined her priorities as state Democrats control the governor’s office, House and Senate in Michigan for the first time in 40 years.
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There was no disagreement among DFLers and Republicans on the Senate floor Monday over whether Minnesota workers across all industries want and need expanded access to paid family and medical leave benefits.
To what degree the state should provide those benefits is where the differences between caucuses were stark and along party lines, as senators debated the highly controversial HF2 for more than six hours before the DFL’s one-vote majority held together to pass the bill.
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Billing it a “breakthrough budget,” Governor Tony Evers rolled out a massive two-year spending plan on Wednesday that would dump billions more taxpayer dollars into a host of new programs, raise taxes by $1 billion-plus on businesses, deliver a sweetheart deal to the Milwaukee Brewers, and gobble up much of the state’s historic $7.1 billion surplus.
At approximately $104 billion, Evers’ budget proposal is the first to break the $100 billion mark and comes in at about $13 billion more than his 2021-23 plan and more than $16 billion higher than the current budget he signed into law in June 2021.
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Governor Bill Lee (R-TN) announced Monday during his State of the State address he would propose boosting support for women in unplanned pregnancies through various programs, including an expansion in funding for crisis pregnancy care centers to $100 million, widening Medicaid eligibility for pregnant women and parents, and granting additional paid family leave time for state employees.
Tennessee’s “trigger” law that bans abortion, titled the Human Life Protection Act, took effect August 25, two months after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
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With more than a $17 billion projected surplus, the Democrats released their priorities at a capitol news conference Wednesday.
“We are moving swiftly because that’s what Minnesotans expect and deserve,” House Speaker Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, said. “Although there were bipartisan wins over the last four years, many of Minnesotans’ priorities were blocked by the Republican Senate majority. With unified DFL control of state government, we now have an opportunity to work quickly to improve people’s lives. The DFL-led House and Senate are going to work hard and work together to meet the needs of Minnesotans and build a state that works better for everyone.”
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A handful of Democrats in the Arizona legislature are supporting a bill that would require employers to give workers up to 26 weeks of paid leave per year.
Fifteen Democrats in the Arizona legislature co-sponsored SB 1644 on Tuesday, February 1. The bill, introduced by Raquel Terán. D-Phoenix, would enact paid family and medical leave in Arizona.
If passed, the bill would allow for up to 26 weeks of paid leave in cases of childbirth, caring for a relative, caring for a military family member, and for victims of domestic violence, among other reasons.
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Ohio House Democrats are using the coronavirus outbreak in the United States to advocate for paid family and medical leave.
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As the 111th Tennessee General Assembly is set to enter its second session, newly elected Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton gave an exclusive interview to The Tennessee Star to discuss legislative priorities and current issues.
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Metro employees now have the option of paid family leave, a benefit that has been promoted by Nashville Mayor Megan Barry. The plan was approved unanimously Tuesday by the Civil Service Commission and goes into effect immediately. The benefit allows Metro workers to have around six weeks of paid time off upon the birth or adoption of a child, or to care for a seriously ill spouse, parent or children. It is available to employees who have worked for Metro government for at least six months. There previously was no paid family leave of any kind. “No parent, spouse, son or daughter should have to choose between providing care to their loved ones in their time of need or being forced to go without pay or quit their job,” said Mayor Megan Barry in a news release. “Paid family leave will help to ensure our Metro employees don’t have to make that choice while also helping Metro government recruit and retain great public servants.” Metro Council recommended a study on paid family leave last year, and Barry, a progressive Democrat, promoted it in her State of Metro address in April. Barry’s office worked with her Council on Gender Equity to research and…
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