Bill to extend six weeks’ paid maternity leave to all state employees draws widespread support; fiscal questions remain
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Summary
LB 878 would add a statutory six-week paid maternity (and adoption) leave for eligible full‑time state employees; proponents — including the State Troopers Association and women's advocacy groups — said it aids recruitment and retention, while questions focused on the fiscal note, coverage gaps (state troopers and some judicial staff), and operational impacts on small work units.
Senator Duxigureca introduced LB 878 to require six weeks of paid maternity leave for eligible full‑time state employees following the birth or adoption of a child. Proponents said the policy aligns statutory coverage with benefits many employees already receive through collective bargaining and would extend the benefit to groups currently excluded, such as state troopers and some judicial branch employees.
Lucas Bolton, representing the State Troopers Association of Nebraska, described personnel and recruitment challenges for female troopers and said the six‑week benefit would reduce pressure that forces some officers to delay parenthood or leave the profession. Jen Day of the Women’s Fund of Omaha cited health research linking paid leave to better infant outcomes and lower maternal morbidity and urged the committee to advance the bill. Justin Hubley (NAEP) said the union negotiated similar benefits that took effect July 1 and that the legislation would codify parity for uncovered groups.
Committee members probed the fiscal note and asked how the leave would interact with existing vacation and sick‑leave banks and whether paternity leave or workplace coverage measures had been considered. Witnesses and the introducer said the majority of state employees are already covered through contracts; LB 878 targets a smaller number of uncovered workers. They acknowledged that precise fiscal accounting is difficult because of varying birth/adoption rates, diverse benefit arrangements and different agencies’ staffing patterns; DHHS and other agencies provided figures reflected in the fiscal note that committee members called hard to reconcile.
Questions also addressed implementation logistics: how departments would cover duties during six‑week leaves, whether staff would be temporarily hired, and whether the policy should include paternity leave. Proponents suggested mitigation approaches and noted the policy is intended as a recruitment and retention tool given a statewide workforce of roughly 18,000 public servants.
The hearing record for LB 878 included online comments (39 proponents, 3 opponents, 1 neutral). The introducer closed, urging the committee to move the bill forward and to work on any necessary implementation details with impacted agencies.
