Gov. Jared Polis has signed a bill providing 12 additional weeks of paid family leave for parents with infants in intensive care units.

Colorado's Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) program, passed through a ballot initiative in 2020, allows workers to take up to 12 weeks of paid leave to care for a newborn baby, a family member with a serious health condition or their own health condition. Thirteen other states and the District of Columbia have mandatory family leave programs, while another 24 states and jurisdictions have voluntary options.

Extremely premature babies born between 24 to 25 weeks of gestational age spend an average of over 100 days in the hospital, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Senate Bill 144 — sponsored by Sens. Faith Winter, D-Westminster,

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