Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parental Leave topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Senate passes bill establishing parental leave for education and state employees, 28-3
Summary
The Alabama Senate adopted an amendment and passed Senate Bill 199 to create parental leave for K–12, community college, Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind and state employees; mothers receive eight weeks and fathers two weeks under the measure.
The Alabama Senate on a roll call passed Senate Bill 199, which establishes parental leave for employees of the state's educational systems and state employees, by a vote of 28 ayes to 3 nays after adopting an amendment to expand covered institutions.
Senator Figures, the bill's sponsor, said the bill "establishes parental leave for employees of the educational systems around the state, including the public charter schools. It also provides parental leave for state employees." He moved adoption of an amendment that, he said, "incorporates" community colleges and the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind into the bill; the amendment was adopted 32-0.
Why it matters: The bill sets specific leave amounts and eligibility. As described on the Senate floor, a mother who has a live childbirth receives eight weeks of leave and a father receives two weeks. The bill also covers stillbirths and miscarriages (the transcript states a miscarriage must be at least 12 weeks and "verified by a healthcare professional" and must not be an abortion). Adoptive parents of children age 3 or younger may allocate the leave between them, with one parent receiving eight weeks and the other two.
Senator Gavan, a cosponsor, said he had received constituent inquiries and sought clarification about which schools were included. Senator Figures told the body that the Legislative Services Agency (LSA) had confirmed the specialized schools referenced are part of the K–12 system funded through the Education Trust Fund.
The transcript records that Representative Jenny Shaver in the House introduced a companion measure for state employees; Senator Figures said the governor supports the consolidated bill.
Formal actions recorded on the floor included adoption of the sponsor's amendment (32 ayes, 0 nays) and final passage of SB 199 by roll call (28 ayes, 3 nays). The sponsor used the previous roll for both procedural motions; no second for the motion is recorded in the transcript.
Next steps: With passage in the Senate, the bill will proceed according to legislative rules (the transcript does not specify subsequent committee referrals or House actions). The Senate discussion and roll call are the committee-recorded actions documented in the transcript.
Quotes in context: On the Senate floor, Senator Figures summarized the bill as "a bill that establishes parental leave for employees of the educational systems around the state," and later explained specifics: "the mothers will have 8 weeks leave and the fathers will have 2 weeks leave." Senator Gavan raised questions about specialty schools and was told LSA had confirmed their inclusion in K'12.
The transcript does not record implementation details beyond the statutory language read on the floor or any fiscal analysis presented during this session.
