We reported last week [1] that Washington was on the verge of becoming the second state to enact family leave. The bill has now been signed by the Governor. While the bill was a compromise, with lower weekly payments (up to $250 per week) than is ideal and, unlike a House version originally approved, no provision to allow paid family leave to care for a seriously ill parent, the new law is a serious advance for parents needing the financial help to stay home with a new child.
Passage of the law was due to extraordinary work and mobilization by the Economic Opportunity Institute [2], which has long labored for the bill, and MomsRising [3], a key partner of Progressive States Network in promoting family-friendly policies. As MomsRising details [3], the campaign for the bill included 14,000 emailed letters, hundreds of phone calls, and many direct delegations to legislators, along with innovative visual strategies like assembling a massive display of Onesies decorated by members [4] with messages highlighting the need for family leave -- all adding up to a tremendous victory for families.