Skip to content Skip to search

Republish This Story

* Please read before republishing *

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free under an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives Creative Commons license as long as you follow our republishing guidelines, which require that you credit The 19th and retain our pixel. See our full guidelines for more information.

To republish, simply copy the HTML at right, which includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to The 19th. Have questions? Please email [email protected].

— The Editors

Loading...

Modal Gallery

/
Sign up for our newsletter

Menu

  • Our Mission
  • Our Team
  • Latest Stories
  • Search
  • Upcoming Events
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletter
  • Donate
  • Work With Us
  • Fellowships
    • From the Collection

      Changing Child Care

      Illustration of a woman feeding a baby a bottle
      • 1 in 4 parents report being fired for work interruptions due to child care breakdowns

        Chabeli Carrazana · February 2
      • Washington, D.C., offers financial relief to local child care workers

        Orion Rummler · September 20
      • As climate change worsens hurricane season in Louisiana, doulas are ensuring parents can safely feed their babies

        Jessica Kutz · May 5
    • From the Collection

      Next-Gen GOP

      Illustration of a woman riding an elephant
      • Mayra Flores’ victory set a record for women in Congress. It also reflects the growing visibility of Republican Latinas

        Candice Norwood · June 21
      • A banner year for Republican women

        Amanda Becker · November 11
      • Republican women could double representation in the U.S. House

        Amanda Becker · November 4
    • From the Collection

      On The Rise

      Illustration of three women marching
      • Can Cheri Beasley build a winning coalition in North Carolina?

        Candice Norwood · October 11
      • Los Angeles has never elected a woman mayor. Karen Bass hopes to change that.

        Nadra Nittle · September 8
      • Judge J. Michelle Childs is confirmed to D.C. appeals court

        Candice Norwood · July 20
    • From the Collection

      Pandemic Within a Pandemic

      Illustration of four people marching for Black Lives Matter with coronavirus as the backdrop
      • Some LGBTQ+ people worry that the COVID-19 vaccine will affect HIV medication. It won’t.

        Orion Rummler · November 23
      • Why are more men dying from COVID? It’s a complicated story of nature vs. nurture, researchers say

        Mariel Padilla · September 22
      • Few incarcerated women were released during COVID. The ones who remain have struggled.

        Candice Norwood · August 17
    • From the Collection

      Portraits of a Pandemic

      Illustration of a woman wearing a mask and holding up the coronavirus
      • For family caregivers, COVID is a mental health crisis in the making

        Shefali Luthra · October 8
      • A new database tracks COVID-19’s effects on sex and gender

        Shefali Luthra · September 15
      • Pregnant in a pandemic: The 'perfect storm for a crisis'

        Shefali Luthra · August 25
    • From the Collection

      The 19th Explains

      People walking from many articles to one article where they can get the context they need on an issue.
      • The 19th Explains: What we know about Brittney Griner’s case and what it took to get her home

        Candice Norwood, Katherine Gilyard · December 8
      • The 19th Explains: Why the Respect for Marriage Act doesn’t codify same-sex marriage rights

        Kate Sosin · December 8
      • The 19th Explains: Why baby formula is still hard to find months after the shortage

        Mariel Padilla · December 1
    • From the Collection

      The Electability Myth

      Illustration of three women speaking at podiums
      • Mayra Flores’ victory set a record for women in Congress. It also reflects the growing visibility of Republican Latinas

        Candice Norwood · June 21
      • Stepping in after tragedy: How political wives became widow lawmakers

        Mariel Padilla · May 24
      • Do term limits help women candidates? New York could be a new testing ground

        Barbara Rodriguez · January 11
    • From the Collection

      The Impact of Aging

      A number of older people walking down a path of information.
      • From ballroom dancing to bloodshed, the older AAPI community grapples with gun control

        Nadra Nittle, Mariel Padilla · January 27
      • 'I'm planning on working until the day I die': Older women voters are worried about the future

        Mariel Padilla · June 3
      • Climate change is forcing care workers to act as first responders

        Jessica Kutz · May 31
    • From the Collection

      Voting Rights

      A series of hands reaching for ballots.
      • Connecticut voters approved early voting. Here’s how their new secretary of state wants to make it happen.

        Barbara Rodriguez · February 13
      • Women lawmakers in Minnesota are in the vanguard of the democracy movement

        Barbara Rodriguez · February 3
      • Election workers believe in our system — and want everyone else to, too

        Barbara Rodriguez, Jennifer Gerson · November 8

    View all collections

  • Explore by Topic

    • 19th Polling
    • Abortion
    • Business & Economy
    • Caregiving
    • Coronavirus
    • Education
    • Election 2020
    • Election 2022
    • Election 2024
    • Environment & Climate
    • Health
    • Immigration
    • Inside The 19th
    • Justice
    • LGBTQ+
    • Military
    • Politics
    • Press Release
    • Race
    • Sports
    • Technology

    View All Topics

Home
  • Our Mission
  • Our Team
  • Latest Stories
  • Search
  • Upcoming Events
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletter
  • Donate
  • Work With Us
  • Fellowships

We’re an independent, nonprofit newsroom reporting on gender, politics and policy. Read our story.

The 19th Represents Summit

Don’t miss our biggest event of 2023!

Register Today

Become a member

The 19th thanks our sponsors. Become one.

Protesters gather at a rally in Denver for paid family leave.
(Photo by Helen H. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

Election 2020

Voters in Colorado and Oregon approved two major wins for working women

The proposals come at a time when women have shouldered the bulk of child care and family care needs during the coronavirus pandemic.

Barbara Rodriguez

State Politics and Voting Reporter

Barbara Rodriguez portrait

Published

2020-11-04 12:31
12:31
November 4, 2020
pm

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email

We’re the only newsroom dedicated to writing about gender, politics and policy. Subscribe to our newsletter today.

In a win for working families, Colorado voters on Tuesday approved paid medical and family leave in the state, and voters in the Portland, Oregon, area approved universal preschool.

Proposition 118 in Colorado will create a fund that allows workers in the state to receive 12 weeks of paid time off to have a baby, receive medical treatment or take care of an ill family member (the time off could extend to 16 weeks in cases of pregnancy or childbirth complications). Employees and employers will begin paying into the fund in 2023, and the benefits will be offered beginning 2024.

The 19th thanks our sponsors. Become one.

Employees and employers will be required to contribute to the fund through a payroll tax, which will allow approved workers to be paid as much as $1,100 per week depending on their pay. According to a state description of the measure, a “family member” is defined as the worker’s child, parent, spouse, domestic partner, grandparent, grandchild, sibling or “any individual with whom the employee has a significant personal bond that is like a family relationship.”

The Colorado Legislature considered legislation to create a paid medical and family leave program but never passed it.

In Oregon, voters in Multnomah County (where Portland, the state’s more populous city, is located) on Tuesday approved a voluntary universal preschool program. Ballot Measure 26-214 will tax high-income residents in order to pay for tuition-free preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds.

Both proposals come at a time when women have shouldered the bulk of child care and family care needs during the coronavirus pandemic. Daycares have warned of massive closures without federal help. In the midst of these challenges, 865,000 of women left the workforce in September.

Stories by experienced reporters you can trust and relate to.

Delivered directly to your inbox every weekday.

Please check your email to confirm your subscription!

Submitting…

Uh-oh! Something went wrong. Please try again later.

Eight states and Washington, D.C., have approved legislation to create paid medical and family leave insurance programs since 2002, but there has been an uptick in recent years, according to a tally by the nonpartisan National Conference of State Legislatures. That includes Oregon, which passed its law in 2019.

Universal preschool programs vary in their offerings, according to an analysis by the Education Commission of the States. In a 2018 report, it determined Vermont, Florida and the District of Columbia have universal preschool programs because they have no caps on funding or enrollment for children. Seven other states, including Oklahoma and West Virginia, have “varying levels of universality” in offering preschool. But it also noted that just a handful of states did not provide some form of state funding for preschool.

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email

The 19th Represents Summit

Don’t miss our biggest event of 2023!

Register Today

Become a member

From the Collection

Changing Child Care

Illustration of a woman feeding a baby a bottle
  • 1 in 4 parents report being fired for work interruptions due to child care breakdowns

    Chabeli Carrazana · February 2
  • Washington, D.C., offers financial relief to local child care workers

    Orion Rummler · September 20
  • As climate change worsens hurricane season in Louisiana, doulas are ensuring parents can safely feed their babies

    Jessica Kutz · May 5

Up Next

Deb Haaland, one of the first Native Americans in Congress, waves.

Election 2020

New Mexico elects its first all women of color House delegation

The historic New Mexico House delegation formed out of three races with women running in both major parties. 

Read the Story

The 19th
The 19th is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Our stories are free to republish in accordance with these guidelines.

  • Donate
  • Newsletter
  • Events
  • Search
  • Jobs
  • Fellowships
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Community Guidelines
  • Membership
  • Membership FAQ
  • Major Gifts
  • Sponsorship
  • Privacy
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram