SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The push to offer paid leave nationwide is in high gear. A plan already passed the U.S. House as part of the Build Back Better Act, but it faces unanimous Republican opposition in the Senate, where a vote is expected in the coming weeks.

California is one of nine states plus D.C. already offering paid leave, so advocates are focused on convincing holdout Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., in a state hit hard by the opioid crisis.

Neil Sroka, communications director for the group Paid Leave for the U.S., said paid leave is sometimes about caring for yourself, so you can be there for the people who depend on you.

"When someone needs to get treatment for addiction recovery, they oftentimes need to go to inpatient services for two weeks or four weeks," Sroka explained. "And for many, that means choosing between a future without substance-use disorder and their job."

Opponents say the $2 trillion Build Back Better bill is too costly.

Meanwhile, California advocates are working to improve the system in the Golden State, where people can take up to eight weeks of paid family leave per year, as part of the state disability program, and recover 60% to 70% of their salary. State data showed many low-income families can't afford to use the program, because they need their whole salary.

This year Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed Assembly Bill 123, which would have increased the pay rate to 90% for all workers, citing concerns it would have raised payroll taxes.

Sroka pointed out Build Back Better would help California fund the program.

"One of the provisions of the paid-leave program is it would offer additional funding support for states like California that already offer a program," Sroka noted. "But most importantly, it would be a federal framework that will make sure that everyone has access to it."

Next year, the state Legislature will reconsider Assembly Bill 995, which would require employers to offer five days of paid sick leave per year, up from the current three.

Some families make New Year's Resolutions to cut down on screen time, and experts have some tips for actually getting your kids to put down the cell phone or tablet.

The key is to identify your child's vulnerabilities and address any underlying issues.

Dr. Pamela Hurst-Della Pietra, founder and president of the nonprofit Children and Screens: Institute of Digital Media and Child Development and clinical assistant professor of pediatric public health in the Department of Family, Population and Preventive Medicine at the Stony Brook University School of Medicine in New York, said for example, your tween-age son might use gaming to reduce loneliness and connect with friends, so more in-person playdates can help.

"Other times, the reason that kids have trouble turning off games has to do with something physiological, like a dopamine rush of the game," Hurst-Della Pietra explained.

Some children use gaming to cope, as an escape from any issues they may be having in school or at home, in which case therapy may help. Experts advise it is important to set screen time rules, just like rules for bedtime and nutrition. Many families forbid screens at the dinner table and turn off their devices' Wi-Fi at a certain time each night.

Hurst-Della Pietra cautioned it is not wise to try to quit screen time cold turkey.

"Find where digital media is not serving your family and resolve to take small steps," Hurst-Della Pietra suggested. "Then those can lead to big improvements in everyone's well-being."

In addition, she recommended families look for other fun non-screen activities, such as a family game night.

As holiday celebrations continue, groups that study issues in prisons say families with a loved one who's incarcerated should make attempts to connect with them. They say even with barriers in states like Iowa, the visit has lasting impact.

The Prison Policy Initiative says 50 years of research has found that people held in state prisons who receive in-person visits are less likely to be reincarcerated after their release.

The Initiative's Communications Strategist Wanda Bertram said in recent years, prison and jail systems have added a variety of barriers making it tougher to connect in person, by phone or by mail. But she said that shouldn't deter families.

"We want higher rates of success when people leave prison and they're re-entering society," said Bertram. "You know, we want people who are mentally well."

Separately, Iowa researchers have found a connection between visitation and a person's tendency to obey rules inside a correctional facility.

Bertram noted that Iowa has been among the states with higher costs for a 15 minute call from jail. But the Initiative secured a victory this year when the Iowa Utilities Board agreed to cap the rates set by jail phone companies.

As for better outcomes, Bertram said it goes beyond reducing recidivism - the benefits can be seen in a variety of ways.

"People who are frequently in touch with family have better mental health outcomes," said Bertram. "It actually impacts their physical health, it impacts their improvement in school and educational programs."

As the nation sees another COVID surge, Bertram said she worries administrators around the country will go to greater lengths to block visits.

Iowa has yet to go back to restricting in-person visits at state facilities after resuming them over the summer. But Bertram said there's concern about the potential for a patchwork of restrictions at county-level jails.

HARTFORD, Conn. -- The Connecticut Campaign for Paid Family Leave has been raising concerns about outsourcing of the state paid leave program's claims administration since Gov. Ned Lamont announced the pick last week.

Connecticut paid-leave benefits begin in January, but the advocacy campaign is concerned that having a private company, Aflac, as claims administrator will lead to individuals having denied or delayed access to the program.

Madeline Granato, policy director for the Connecticut Women's Education and Legal Fund, said it would affect folks who need paid family and medical leave the most.

"Especially low-wage workers and workers of color," Granato pointed out. "Who, I will note, are on the front lines of COVID-19, still to this day, without any access to leave, and need this benefit more than ever."

Granato pointed to the U.S. health-care system as an example of how privatizing a service has allowed companies to deny services to individuals, or profit off of basic needs. Under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, employees may take up to 12 weeks of leave in a 12-month period.

Aflac will take applications and determine eligibility, and also oversee paid family and medical-leave benefits.

Granato emphasized advocates are hopeful that there will be oversight over the claims process, so all eligible individuals have the right to paid leave benefits.

"We hold the belief that no private entity should profit off of what should be a human right," Granato asserted. "Folks deserve access to the comprehensive benefits that are promised to them under the law that so many folks worked so hard to pass in 2019."

She added Connecticut's Paid Leave Program is still on track to begin despite COVID-19.