Committee approves substitute to expand maternal birth leave for certain state employees
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Summary
The committee passed a substitute to House Bill 118 to create a maternal birth leave category and expand paid leave for eligible state employees from six to nine weeks; proponents said the change supports recovery and retention and the measure was approved by voice vote.
The Committee on Public and Community Health approved a substitute to House Bill 118, which creates a distinct maternal birth leave category and increases paid leave for eligible state employees from six to nine weeks. Representative Reese presented the bill (LC 461432S), saying the leave must be used within the first three weeks after birth for recuperation and that employees must have six months of employment before eligibility.
Representative Reese told the committee the change builds on earlier leave expansions in 2021 and 2024 and that the proposed benefit would be paid from existing salary funding already included in employer budgets. Committee members praised the bill as supporting maternal mental health and employee retention; Representative Hilton credited the Speaker Pro Tempore's leadership in advancing the measure.
Representative Reese moved the substitute to "do pass" and the committee approved the substitute by voice vote; the record does not include a roll-call tally. The committee noted the bill's narrow applicability to certain state employees and the intention to avoid direct new costs by using existing payroll funding pools.
