Iowa earns poor grade for policies supporting parents

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Iowa is providing almost none of the critical help families need to assist expecting and new parents who are employed, according to a new study.


A state-by-state analysis released two days before the 23rd anniversary of the day the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) took effect shows that few states have expanded upon the FMLA’s unpaid leave protections or adopted other supports to assist families.


The analysis of state laws and regulations governing paid leave and other workplace rights for expecting and new parents is one of the most comprehensive to date. The analysis was conducted by the National Partnership for Women & Families.


The full study graded all 50 states and the District of Columbia based on their passage of select laws that offer greater leave or workplace protections than federal law provides. California is the only state to receive an A. The District of Columbia and New York earned grades of A-minus, and 11 states earned grades of B.


However, 10 states earned grades of C, 15 states earned grades of D, and 12 states receive grades of F for failing to enact a single workplace policy to help expecting or new parents.


Iowa earned a grade of D for its policies.


The full study is available online.