Issue 28: Total eclipse...

... of the heart ?? (we had to do it)

We know, we know, we know! There's an eclipse today. Wanna see it? Look up.

Within the last week we've all become meteorologists and suddenly use "path of totality" in regular conversation. This once-in-a-generation phenomena (that also somehow happened in 2017) fuels a $6 billion solar eclipse industry. Not only do umbraphiles (eclipse chasers) fuel eclipse content across channels, numerous industries see tremendous spikes around weather events. From flights to new cities for the best view, to marketing campaigns dedicated to "blackouts," businesses within the path of totality can see a spike in business, traffic, and reservations.

As a professional meteorologist with one week's training, I've learned that you have to use approved glasses. Please enjoy today's solar eclipse responsibly.

Who's funding Paid Family Leave (PFL)?

We saw a bit of misinformation spreading on Instagram last week that Paid Family Leave is a state funded program, and that a national paid parental leave policy would likely follow this precedence with state or federal contributions. Is this true?

We investigated: who funds Paid Family Leave (PFL) programs? ??

We could not find any evidence that states contribute to the funding of Paid Family Leave distributions. The funding of PFL comes solely through mandatory payroll tax.

States are only responsible for the implementation of the program, creation and distribution of materials (including the websites and portals), system support and maintenance, customer support, arbitration and mediation between parties if disputes arise, and the distribution and tracking of funds.

The funding for PFL comes solely from employees, and in some cases the employer, through mandatory payroll tax. Here is a breakdown of existing PFL program contributions:

Employers are only required to contribute in 4 states. This means that most parents who take paid parental leave are funding it themselves through mandatory payroll tax.

To learn more, download our resource guide on PFL funding and contributions.

Why parental leave? Join us and Boulo Solutions on Wednesday

Why do companies need parental leave policies? How will they manage and afford it? How will it affect parent employees?

Join Abigail Kidd, MBA and Delphine Carter as they break it down this Wednesday, April 10th at 1pm ET.

Save your seat here.

Got 3 minutes?

3 minutes is all you need to watch our Parento breakdown, part of the 3x3x3 challenge by BenefitsAlly . Watch Dirk Doebler break down what we do, why we're different, and who we're for in under 3 minutes ??

What we're celebrating:

• Put ?? some ?? respect ?? on ?? women's ?? sports. Whether or not you agree with the call(s) during Friday's Final Four game between UConn and Iowa, we should celebrate the making of history! This epic matchup was the most viewed women's basketball game ever; the most viewed non-football broadcast on ESPN ever; and the most viewed college basketball event ever. And yesterday's championship game shattered those records ????.
• At long last, the unpaid household labor that millions of working parents, and especially mothers, contribute may finally be recognized. There is currently a push to include unpaid labor as a data point in the next census.

See you next week!

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