Currently, six states and the District of Columbia have enacted family leave laws. While that number may seem low, momentum for paid family leave has increased in recent years and gained bipartisan support. The real question has become not whether we implement family leave, but how we implement it. Here are some of the bills that have been proposed in recent years:

• The Working Parents Flexibility Act (proposes tax-exempt parental-leave savings accounts for child care)
• The New Parents Act (would allow new parents to draw from Social Security for paid leave)
• The Child Rearing and Development Leave Empowerment (CRADLE) Act (parents could postpone Social Security benefits in order to receive up to three months of paid leave)
• The Family and Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act (a payroll tax on employers and employees would provide partial wage replacement for FMLA qualifying events)

Given the current congressional divide, the likelihood of any of these bills passing is slim. However, several states are expected to consider paid leave this year. For a list of which states are likely to implement paid leave laws and other insights, refer to our full length article here.

To learn how these new statutes interact with federal law, check out our comprehensive program New Paid Leave Laws and Their Interaction with Existing Federal & State Employment Statutes (helpful hint: you can register for the program with our risk-free free trial today).