Governor Tony Evers announced a new paid family and medical leave initiative in his state budget plan. The initiative would spend $240 million to launch a new statewide program to provide public and most private-sector workers with 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave and expand what it can be used for. Reasons to take the leave include care for a new child; a serious health condition; military deployment; unforeseen closure of a child care facility; and the aftermath of domestic violence or sexual assault. Republican Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu said the state’s current program is competitive and that Evers’ plan was “very doubtful at this point,” but he didn’t summarily reject what the governor called for.
