Paid Leave Coverage, Rollout Risks Diverge in Maryland, Delaware

Delaware and Maryland just enacted paid family and medical leave programs, picking up where Democrats in Congress left off in last year’s failed attempt at creating a nationwide version.

With their newly enacted laws, the neighboring states became the 10th and 11th—plus the District of Columbia—to guarantee paid family and medical leave to private-sector workers.

But differing political climates in Maryland and Delaware could mean big variations in how much of their workforces can access the paid time off, the impact on employers, and how effectively the programs get rolled out.

Access to paid time off from work in the ...