MONTGOMERY — The House Ways and Means Education Committee advanced legislation on Wednesday that would grant paid parental leave for state and public employees, but not without questions on the fiscal impact of the proposed bill.
The legislation was touted by Gov. Kay Ivey in her State of the State Address last month.
House Bill 327 (HB327), also known as the Alabama K-12 Public School and State Employee Paid Parental Leave Act of 2025, is sponsored in the House by State Rep. Ginny Shaver (R-Leesburg), who presented it before the committee on Wednesday morning.
Shaver stated that HB327 was created last session as an amalgamation of several bills that failed to reach the finish line on the last day of the session.
“So we’ve started from where we finished last year, and this is the combined bill to provide eight weeks of paid leave for state employees and employees of local boards of education,” Shaver said. “It also covers in case of miscarriage after 12 weeks, and also for the case of stillbirth after 20 weeks and adoption for a child aged three or under.”
Lawmakers did not offer or apply any amendments during the meeting. However, Shaver stated that amendments might come later to clarify specific schools covered under the bill that are not traditional K-12 schools, such as the Alabama Community College System, Department of Youth Services and Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind.
State Rep. Debbie Wood (R-Valley) spoke in favor of the bill but also raised several concerns. One of which was granting spousal leave in cases of miscarriage.
Under the bill's provisions, an eligible female employee would receive eight weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, stillbirth or miscarriage of her child. A male eligible employee would receive two weeks of paid parental leave in the same circumstances. The bill would also provide specified amounts of paid parental leave for eligible employees who adopt a child aged three or younger.
“I do understand the female having the eight weeks after that, but I’m not sure I understand the husband having two weeks,” Wood said. “I know that they would have to be there to assist with their wife and hopefully help her with food or whatever, her health. But I’m not sure I understand why the two weeks were granted for the spouse there.”
Shaver responded that HB327 was designed to mirror the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, which offers the same provisions.
Wood also questioned why adoption was granted at the same time length as natural birth since there would be no need for medical recovery in that case.
“in trying to be equitable and give time for bonding,” Shaver responded. “Because whether it’s a young child aged three and under, or if it’s a newborn infant, actually, I think there may be cases where an older child that’s been through trauma might take more time than that. So I really don’t think eight weeks is too long to give time for that family to adjust.”
The fiscal note on the bill gives an estimated average of $8,600 per eligible female employee who utilizes eight weeks of paid leave, while males taking two weeks of paid leave would average $2,100 per employee.
Some lawmakers criticized the fiscal note for not providing a total estimated cost based on historical trends of the number of state and school employees who have given birth.
“Do we know how many employees are pregnant each year? Do we track those kinds of numbers?” asked State Rep. Jamie Kiel (R-Russellville).
“RSA [Retirement Systems of Alabama] provided some numbers about how many dependents have been added, and I have those,” Shaver said. “An average of about 2,000 in a year. It dropped in 2024 to 1,641. In 2023, it was 2,302. But, over the past six years, it’s been about an average of 2,000 dependents added.”
Committee chairman State Rep. Danny Garrett (R-Trussville) acknowledged that the bill was an Ivey priority and generally amenable to House members while still bemoaning the lackluster fiscal note.
“The concern that I have personally, and I think other members have shared with me, is that we don’t have a good fiscal note,” Garrett said. “I talked to the governor’s office yesterday, requesting more information. I know they’re working on that.”
He continued, “I’m not in opposition to the concept. I’m just making the point that when we don’t have a fiscal note, that’s something we don’t normally do. And when we do go down that road, we have to consider other things that may come before us, having that we’ve got some undetermined amount here.”
Despite lawmakers’ concerns, the bill passed the committee without a single “no” vote. It will now go to the House floor for a vote.
The bill defines an "eligible employee" as someone who has worked at a state agency or school for at least 12 consecutive months. In cases of adoption, the paid leave would also be eight weeks if the child is under three. However, if both parents are eligible under the bill, one parent would receive eight weeks, and the other would receive two.
Before beginning the leave, the legislation requires employees to agree not to quit their jobs for at least eight weeks after returning to work. If an employee violates the return-to-work agreement, the employing agency may recover an amount equal to the employee's hourly rate multiplied by the number of hours they missed by violating the provision. There are exceptions in cases of severe health conditions of the employee or an immediate family member.
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