Commission on Women to study paid leave

The Vermont Commission on Women won $173,794 from the U.S. Department of Labor this week to study how paid family and medical leave programs could work in Vermont.

The study will include a survey of Vermont employers to ascertain who offers paid family and medical leave and how often it is used, said Cary Brown, executive director of the Vermont Commission on Women.

The commission also plans to survey public opinion on the topic and examine the costs and benefits of several models for paid leave, including employee-funded and combination employer- and employee-funded paid leave.

Brown hopes the study will result in a better-informed discussion in Vermont, as well as a couple of "good, strong policies."

“We know that paid leave policies are one of the things that can really help parents, both men and women, stay on the job," Brown said.

The Vermont award is one of eight grants totaling $1.55 million nationwide.

In a statement, U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez called for the expansion of paid family and medical leave "for the good of our families and the strength of our economy."

Contact April Burbank at 802-660-1863 or aburbank@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/AprilBurbank