Colorado and Illinois Adopt Leave Policies for NICU Parents

U.S. state to provide paid neonatal intensive care leave when a new law took effect in January. The measure adds up to 12 weeks of paid leave for parents of newborns in intensive care on top of the state's existing 12-week family and medical leave program.

Illinois will begin offering between 10 and 20 days of unpaid leave to NICU parents next month. The policy stands alone because the state does not have a paid family leave program.

Parents of premature or medically fragile newborns have often used regular parental leave while their infants remained hospitalized. This approach leaves them with little or no protected time once the baby is discharged. Colorado's law passed largely along party lines. Illinois's shorter unpaid measure received broad bipartisan support in the legislature.

Federal Proposal and Advocacy Efforts U.S. Rep.

Brittany Pettersen is drafting a federal bill that would add up to 12 weeks of NICU leave to the Family and Medical Leave Act. The proposal would supplement the 12 weeks of unpaid leave already available under the 1993 federal statute. Inimai Chettiar, president of A Better Balance, said the concept has drawn interest from both parties.

She noted that many people appear to understand the need for additional time when newborns require extended hospital care. U.S. newborns is admitted to a NICU, according to the most recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. Medical experts state that parental presence can improve infant breathing, heart rate, and maternal milk production.