House committee advances bill to extend paid maternity leave for state employees to 12 weeks

Representative DeFe introduced HB 329 on Feb. 4, proposing to expand paid leave for state employees from six to 12 weeks, add adoptive and foster placement leave for children under age six, create a $3,000,000 district reimbursement pool for local education agencies (LEAs) and explicitly protect pumping breast milk in public. She told the committee the change for state employees requires no new appropriation and that agencies expect to absorb the cost.

The bill would extend current statutory distinctions (three weeks parental plus three weeks postpartum) by adding nine weeks to reach 12 weeks total for eligible state employees. For teachers and charter employees, the bill creates a $3 million pool to reimburse LEAs that opt in; sponsors estimated the pilot would cost roughly $1 million per year over three years and be funded from the stabilization fund.

Sponsor Representative DeFe said the proposal grew from a working group and stakeholder outreach. Emily Bell McCormick of the Policy Project told the committee that national context shows most countries provide paid maternity leave and that local interviews revealed working parents facing disparate and often inadequate leave arrangements.

Committee members pressed the sponsor on details. Representative Fiafia sought a sunset or reauthorization requirement for the LEA reimbursement window; sponsors and counsel said an automatic repeal would need to be done via a substitute rather than a simple amendment. Representatives asked for clarification about how adoptive and foster placements would be timed; the sponsor said leave would start when a child is placed in the home rather than when a legal adoption is finalized, and she agreed to clarify statutory language.

Dozens of supporters spoke during public comment. Testimony included personal accounts from constituents and endorsements from organizations including the Utah Public Employees Association and the American Heart Association, which cited health and bonding benefits. Speakers also linked extended leave to workforce retention and reduced childcare costs for families.

Representative Owens moved that the committee give HB 329 a favorable recommendation to the full House. After debate, the committee voted 6–2 to pass the bill out of committee, with Representatives Hansen and Shelley recorded as opposing. The sponsor indicated willingness to work with colleagues on a substitute to add any sunset or clarifying language for the LEA reimbursement program.

If enacted, the bill would take effect according to the dates specified in the statute language and place the LEA reimbursement window into the pilot period described in the bill; fiscal and implementation details will be clarified in follow-up drafting and any substitute language.