Family and Medical Leave Law: Variations in State Protections for Workers' Health

The federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides a basic set of protections for workers who are injured or ill, for new parents, and for workers who need to care for a family member. Family and medical leave access represents an essential element of worker, family, and population health.   While there has been limited quantitative and qualitative analysis of the impact and utilization of the federal FMLA, very little attention is known about the content or outcomes associated with state family and medical leave laws. A dataset of these laws is needed to encourage research on state laws, and to inform further policy discussion of their scope and usefulness. The researchers at Columbia University's Center for Intersectionality and Social Policy Studies will quantify and code variables associated with accessibility of leave, types of leave-taking activity, and forms of legal remedy provided to leave-takers.