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Subcommittee advances H.3645 to expand paid parental leave for state employees, 4-0
Summary
The General Government Subcommittee voted 4-0 to report H.3645 favorably as amended; the bill would expand paid parental leave for eligible state employees and set an Oct. 1, 2025 effective date for implementation by the Department of Administration.
The General Government Subcommittee voted 4–0 to report H.3645, an expansion of paid parental leave for eligible state employees, out favorably as amended.
Under the bill as explained to the subcommittee, paid parental leave would extend from six weeks to 12 weeks and from two weeks to four weeks for eligible employees depending on parental role, and would apply in the event of a birth or adoption, Trustee staff Terica Staggers said. "The expansion of paid leave would apply in the event of birth or adoption of a child," Staggers said. Staggers also said the definition of an eligible employee is amended to include all full-time employees of the state, including those employed by public institutions of higher education, and that the fiscal impact on state expenditure is undetermined.
Ashley Liro, chief strategy officer for the Women’s Rights and Empowerment Network, testified in support. "I'm here in full-throated support of our paid family leave, Bill 3,645," Liro said, urging subcommittee members to cosponsor the measure.
Representative Cobb Hunter presented a cleanup amendment that clarifies the bill includes full-time employees who occupy FTE positions funded by temporary research grants but excludes true temporary employees such as summer interns. The amendment also directs that pay for parental leave be based on an employee's average workday rather than base pay only and sets an effective date of Oct. 1, 2025, to allow the Department of Administration time to implement the program.
Representative Cobb Hunter moved adoption of the amendment and, after a second, moved that the bill be reported out favorably as amended. A roll-call confirmed votes recorded as "aye" from Representatives Cobb Hunter, Hayes, Ballantine and Willis. The chair announced the bill had been amended and was reported out favorably by a vote of 4–0.
Committee discussion noted agencies and institutions may incur increased expenses related to workload management and parental-leave payouts, and that total costs will vary depending on how many employees take leave. The transcript did not include a committee estimate of total cost or specific departmental allocations.
