Alabama lawmakers consider 8 weeks paid parental leave for state employees, teachers
Newly filed legislation would give Alabama educators and state employees up to eight weeks of parental leave.
The bipartisan legislation, filed by Rep. Ginny Shaver, R-Leesburg, and Sen. Vivian Figures, D-Mobile, would provide eligible state and public school employees with fully paid parental leave after a birth, stillbirth, miscarriage or adoption of a child. Gov. Kay Ivey, who championed the effort in her State of the State address, praised the filing of HB327 and SB199 on Feb. 25.
“In Alabama, we are committed to strengthening families and ensuring our hardworking state employees – including our teachers – have the support they need during life’s most important moments,” Ivey said in a news release. “Welcoming a child is one of the greatest joys in life, and this legislation will ensure that Alabama parents do not have to face the decision of securing financial stability or spending time at home with their newborn or newly adopted child.”
Who would get paid parental leave?
Under the proposed law, a female eligible employee would receive eight weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, stillbirth or miscarriage of her child. A male employee would receive two weeks of paid parental leave under the same circumstances. The bills also provide specified amounts of paid parental leave for eligible employees who adopt a child who is three years old or younger.
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The legislation also includes a return-to-work provision that would require employees to resume their positions for at least eight weeks following their paid parental leave. Exceptions may be granted in certain circumstances, including cases of serious health conditions.
Paid parental leave was one of several recommendations offered in a 2023 final report from the Governor’s Study Group on Efficiency in State Government, which sought to address increasing employee turnover rates in the state.
Currently, public school educators must build up a bank of sick leave days or take unpaid leave to care for a newborn or adopted child. Public school teachers generally are given 10 sick days each year.
The Alabama Education Association recently told the Alabama Daily News that between 2,000 and 2,200 K-12 female teachers could have been covered by maternity leave between 2019 and 2023. In 2024, that number dropped to 1,500.
Figures authored similar legislation alongside Rep. Debbie Wood, R-Valley, last year. The 2024 legislation originally sought to give both parents 12 weeks of paid leave, but was cut down in committees and failed to gain support from both houses. The new bill offers less time off, but secures protections for stillbirths, adoptions and other scenarios.
“Working education and state employees deserve the opportunity to care for their newborn or newly adopted child without worrying about unnecessary financial strain,” Figures said. “This meaningful legislation will support the well-being of children and parents, while also fostering a more stable and productive workforce for the future. I look forward to sponsoring the bill in the Senate and working to ensure all families in Alabama can thrive.”
Several neighboring states, including Georgia, Florida and Tennessee, have recently added paid parental leave for teachers and state employees. Birmingham also implemented 12-week paid parental leave coverage for city employees in 2023.
Advocates say paid parental leave policies can save employers money by improving employee retention, and can lead to better health outcomes for families and children. Recent research shows that paid leave policies can cut the risk of rehospitalization in half for pregnant people and infants following birth and reduce the amount of babies born with dangerously low birth weights.
“We’ll see a lot of benefits, both at the first level, and then huge ripples outward,” said Dev Wakely, a worker policy advocate at Alabama Arise.
Wakely said he’d eventually like to see both parents receive equal amounts of paid leave, but he acknowledged the legislation is a “huge step forward” for Alabama.
“This is an across-the-board supported policy that really every group can understand,” he said. “Every interested party in the state knows this is going to do well for Alabama’s workers. The healthcare providers themselves, they know it. Legislators know it. Our advocates know it. And parents and children know it, too. You don’t often see broad consensus on policy like this.”
The legislation would require the state personnel department and the Alabama State Board of Education to implement and administer parental leave and provide an annual report to the legislature.
If passed into law, the legislation will go into effect July 1, 2025.