Committee approves expansion of state paid leave to cover caring for sick family members

House Bill 915 — an amendment to Tennessee’s six-week paid leave policy for state employees — was approved by the State and Local Government Committee on a 17-6 vote and will move to Finance, Ways and Means for further consideration.

The bill’s sponsor, Representative G.A. Sparks, told the committee HB 915 “amends Tennessee's existing 6 week paid leave bill to add a family member that's caring for a qualifying dependent for reason for leave.” Sparks listed covered relatives as “a parent, grandparent, child, or grandchild, spouse, or sibling” and said the change would allow state employees to take paid leave to care for family members with a serious illness or for end-of-life care such as hospice. “This will allow state employees to take a paid leave to care for a parent, grandparent, child, or grandchild, spouse, or sibling with a serious illness or disability such as cancer or end of life such as hospice,” Sparks said.

Members questioned verification and whether the expanded reason would create cumulative leave beyond the existing six weeks. Representative K. Martin asked how illnesses would be verified and whether HIPAA or other privacy concerns would complicate implementation. Legal counsel Matt Mundy said verification mechanisms could be prescribed by an appointing authority or created by Department of Human Resources rule-making, and that the bill itself does not specify a particular documentation method. Mundy explained the bill aligns with established federal leave practice: “it's a maximum of 6 weeks paid leave for any of the qualifying [reasons]” and the six-week allowance is measured over a 12-month period.

Ferroza Freeland, policy director for the Southern office of the nonprofit A Better Balance, testified in support and said the bill’s definition of a serious health condition mirrors the federal Family and Medical Leave Act. “This bill simply adds more flexibility to allow state employees to use the leave according to their family's needs,” Freeland said, and she told the committee the Department of Human Resources has authority to set policies and procedures to implement the program.

Sponsors and supporters emphasized the bill does not increase the total amount of paid leave already in law. Representative Sparks and legal counsel clarified multiple times that the six-week allotment is not cumulative across different qualifying events within a 12-month period; an employee cannot claim 6 weeks for three separate qualifying reasons in the same 12 months. The committee heard both personal testimony from lawmakers who have used the leave for family care and broader labor-policy arguments that paid family leave helps recruitment and retention.

The committee voted 17 ayes to 6 nays to send HB 915 to Finance, Ways and Means.

Next steps: the bill will be considered by the Finance, Ways and Means Committee.