South Dakota is dead last in a new study that shows how each state supports new parents in the workplace.

The Mount Rushmore State is one of a dozen states that scored a zero in 'Expecting Better: A State-by-State Analysis of Laws That Help Expecting and New Parents'.

National Partnership For Women & Families, reviewed different public policies aimed at helping new parents and examined laws governing both private and public sector employees.

The study justified South Dakota's low ranking by pointing to a lack of action in two areas:

  • PRIVATE SECTOR WORKERS - South Dakota law does not expand upon federal rights or protections for new and expecting parents who work in the private sector.
  • STATE WORKERS - South Dakota has no laws beyond the federal FMLA that guarantee job protection or leave for new or expecting parents who work for the state.

California is the only state to receive an 'A' in the study, while The District of Columbia and New York earned grades of 'A-'. Eleven states received a 'B', 10 a 'C'', 15 a 'D', while Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Wyoming joined South Dakota in the 'F' category.

The report was released just days before the anniversary of the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which took effect in 1993.


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