Alabama lawmakers approve paid parental leave for state employees

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama lawmakers on Thursday approved a bipartisan bill that would make teachers and state employees eligible for paid parental leave.

The Republican dominated House of Representatives voted 94-2 to pass legislation that would offer up to eight weeks of maternity leave and two weeks of paternity leave after the birth, stillbirth or miscarriage of a child. The legislation now goes to Republican Gov. Kay Ivey, who endorsed the legislation in her annual state of the state speech in February.

Sen. Vivian Figures, who co-sponsored the bill, said it would give mothers time to heal after pregnancy, improve education and help the state “recruit the personnel we need and be able to retain them.”

Alabama is one of just over a dozen states that does not offer paid parental leave to state employees, according to A Better Balance, the non-profit organization that advocates for paid family leave. Alabama state employees currently use sick leave and unpaid time off if they wish to stay home after a child’s birth or adoption.

Alabama had just under 29,000 state employees in 2023, according to the latest available data from the Alabama Personnel Department. Around 57,000 public school staff and over 50,000 public university staff also would be eligible for paid leave if the law is signed, according to the Alabama Department of Education and the University of Alabama.

Paid leave laws for private sector workers vary nationally. At least thirteen states have state-funded programs that mandate paid family and medical leave, funded by payroll taxes, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. In Alabama and seven other states, employers in the private sector have the option of purchasing paid leave plans through private insurers.

The bill drew support from Republican and Democratic legislators alike.

“We say we’re pro-life, and people say we don’t care about them after they’re born, and this is showing that we do,” Republican Rep. Ginny Shaver, one of the bill’s sponsors, said on the house floor.