The Utah County Commission on Wednesday approved an update to its human resources policy to give parents five days of bereavement leave for miscarriage and stillbirth, up from the current three days.

An unidentified commissioner proposing the change said the county should treat miscarriage and stillbirth bereavement "the same as loss of a child" and told the commission, "I will make a motion today that we extend this to 5 days for miscarriage and stillborn for bereavement." County HR staff said the three-day baseline "comes right out of the law from the state of Utah," but supported increasing the period while they refine separate leave language for stillbirth recovery.

The proposal drew questions about parity with other employers and the policy's scope. The chair asked staff to "bring us back some data from, maybe larger corporations and or other government agencies as well," and staff said they were reviewing comparative language. The mover also asked that bereavement apply to both the birthing parent and the spouse or father; the motion approved the change to five days for both parents/spouses.

Commissioners and staff noted that stillbirths raise additional recovery concerns distinct from other bereavement, and the proposing commissioner asked staff to return within about a month with options that could include additional recovery leave (the commissioner said this might not need to match the six-week maternity leave standard). HR staff agreed to develop options and to review state-law constraints.

A motion to approve item 3 as amended was made and seconded; the commission approved the amendment and the item by voice vote.

The policy change takes immediate effect as an amendment to the county's human resources policy; staff will return with draft language evaluating separate leave options and comparative employer data.