Gov. Tim Walz looked outside Minnesota to find a leader to build the state’s paid family and medical leave program. Greg Norfleet, who was deputy director for operations for a similar program in Massachusetts, arrived in September to begin that work. “We need to build the program with empathy and make the application process as simple and straightforward as possible,” Norfleet says. Legislation that established the program divided employers; while he hires staff and crafts the program, Norfleet says he’ll be listening to employer suggestions. He wants to minimize administrative burdens for companies when their employees access this program, which goes live in 2026.

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