Latest news with #GinnyShaver
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
More GOP states embrace paid parental leave for teachers, public employees
A woman holds her newborn baby in her Los Angeles home. More legislatures in Republican-led states are passing paid parental leave for public employees. (Photo by) More Republican-led states are giving paid parental leave to public school teachers and other state employees, signaling a broader acceptance of family-friendly workplace policies once championed primarily by Democrats. 'All of these red states, I think we're late to the party,' said South Carolina state Rep. Beth Bernstein, a Democrat who sponsored a bill this year to increase state employees' paid parental leave from six to 12 weeks. It passed the majority-Republican South Carolina House in April with strong bipartisan support. This year, Alabama, Iowa and Mississippi joined 37 other states in granting paid parental leave to thousands of state workers. The trend has gathered steam in recent years. Some experts link it to the cascade of state abortion bans that followed the U.S. Supreme Court's 2022 Dobbs decision, which dismantled the federal right to abortion. Under fire from critics to do more to care for babies once they're born, at least a dozen conservative-led states with abortion bans have since granted or expanded paid parental leave for their state employees. But others say the increasing bipartisan support for measures that help working parents is also a reaction to economic realities. 'What we've seen, especially in more conservative states, is the public sector has experienced a lot of turnover,' said Kameron Dawson, legal director of the Southern Office of A Better Balance, a legal organization focused on workplace rights. 'They're looking for tools to recruit younger employees.' Paid parental leave is the time off granted to workers for the birth or adoption of a baby, to care for a child, or to recover from a stillbirth or miscarriage. Without it, employees are left to cobble together their sick leave and vacation leave — or go unpaid — to stay home with a child and heal. We're trying to attract and retain state employees and teachers, and we're in competition with everyone around us, and the private sector as well. – Alabama Republican state Rep. Ginny Shaver Alabama Republican state Rep. Ginny Shaver watched her daughter, a public school teacher, struggle to get the leave she needed after the births of her children in recent years. 'With her second, she had complications in her pregnancy and used up her [paid vacation and sick] leave before she even had the baby,' Shaver told Stateline. Her daughter contracted COVID-19, and the baby had to spend time in neonatal intensive care. 'It was a very difficult time, and she had to take unpaid leave.' Last year, Shaver and Democratic state Sen. Vivian Figures worked to win approval of a paid parental leave bill for state employees. It failed. But they tried again this year. With the support of Republican Gov. Kay Ivey, the state legislature — which has a Republican supermajority — passed it nearly unanimously. The new law gives female state employees, including teachers, eight weeks of paid parental leave in connection with birth, stillbirth or miscarriage, and gives male employees two weeks. Adoptive parents get eight weeks for one parent and two for the other. Shaver said she thinks the law passed thanks to vocal support from the governor and increased awareness of the issue due to the work she and Figures did in previous sessions. 'And the fact that all of the southeast states around us offered it,' Shaver said. 'We're trying to attract and retain state employees and teachers, and we're in competition with everyone around us, and the private sector as well.' For many Republicans, the workforce development argument for paid leave is a persuasive one. For states such as Alabama and South Carolina that have some of the lowest workforce participation rates in the nation, paid leave can be a tool to keep more people — particularly women — working. And it can be a way to retain educators as many states struggle with teacher shortages in K-12 schools. 'For several years we've seen state legislatures acknowledging the importance of child care to businesses and the economy,' said Feroza Freeland, policy director at the Southern Office of A Better Balance. 'But in the last few years, we've seen a growing recognition that paid leave is another piece of that puzzle.' New rules protect pregnant workers, but red states sue over abortion provisions States have taken up the issue because the federal government has not. The United States is a global outlier; among 38 peer nations, it's the only one that doesn't mandate paid parental leave, according to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development. The group comprises 38 democracies with market-based economies. The federal Family and Medical Leave Act, passed in 1993 and extended in 2020, only requires public agencies and companies with at least 50 employees to give up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for parents of newborns or newly adopted children, or caregivers of sick family members. During his first term, President Donald Trump publicly supported some forms of paid family leave and signed a defense bill that gives 12 weeks of paid parental leave to most federal employees. Paid family leave was a signature issue for his daughter Ivanka Trump, at the time a senior adviser to the president. She even held a paid leave and child care summit at the White House in late 2019. That set the stage for other Republicans to take up the issue more publicly. And after the Dobbs decision, family-friendly policies have increasingly become conservative talking points in states with restrictive abortion laws. After the Mississippi House unanimously passed a paid parental leave bill earlier this year, Republican House Speaker Jason White celebrated the bill as a reflection of Mississippi's status as a 'pro-life state.' In a post on X this week announcing her signing of a new paid parental leave law, Iowa Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds called Iowa 'a pro-family state.' North Carolina was one of the first Southern states to grant paid parental leave to state workers in 2019 when then-Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, signed an executive order. In 2023, several months after the Dobbs decision, the state's majority-Republican legislature extended paid parental leave to public school employees by tacking it onto a law banning most abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy. Meanwhile, Indiana Republican Gov. Mike Braun signed an executive order in March to add up to eight additional weeks of paid leave for 'childbirth recovery' to the state's existing four weeks of paid parental leave. The new laws won't apply to most residents, because they only cover state employees. But they could have a downstream effect. Shaver, the Alabama lawmaker, said she hopes her state's new law will not only help the state be competitive with the private sector, but also set a precedent for other employers to follow. 'I hope they will see it's in their benefit to offer what they can,' she said. 'It may not be eight or 12 weeks, but even offering a reduced or flexible work schedule can help families.' Just over a quarter of private-sector workers have access to paid family leave through their employer as of March 2023, according the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Labor. Among the lowest-wage earners, that share drops to 6%. Abortion-ban states pour millions into pregnancy centers with little medical care State paid leave programs run the gamut in terms of what they offer. While Alabama's new law offers up to eight weeks of leave for all state employees, including teachers, Mississippi's offers six and does not require public schools to offer paid parental leave to their employees. Iowa's new law grants four weeks of paid leave for the birth or adoption of a child and one week of paid paternity leave. Tennessee's law, passed in 2023, only offers paid leave to workers in the state's executive and judicial branches. But a few states are already expanding their offerings: Last year, Georgia legislators voted to double paid parental leave from three to six weeks. And some states have gone further than just state employees: 13 states and the District of Columbia have mandated paid family leave for all workers, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center. Most of those states are located in New England or on the West Coast and all are Democratic-led. Ten more offer voluntary paid family leave statewide that's provided through private insurance. Experts say the shift in attitude toward family-friendly policies can also be attributed to a generational shift. 'A lot of younger lawmakers are more willing to champion the issue of paid leave,' said Freeland, of A Better Balance. 'They're understanding it because they're seeing it in their own lives, or seeing friends and family members going through this.' In South Carolina, Bernstein's bill faced some opposition from members of the state's ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus and Family Caucus. Some lawmakers questioned the potential costs of the bill, or criticized it as government overreach. South Carolina Republican state Rep. Josiah Magnuson, a member of the Freedom Caucus, said he believed the bill would be a financial burden on public school districts that could lead to raised taxes. 'You're saying, let's tax the people of South Carolina, most of whom don't get paid parental leave, and give them to state employees who already have six weeks' paid parental leave,' Magnuson told lawmakers in April before the House voted to pass the bill. He also said he doesn't like that the increased paid leave 'puts the foot in the door a little more for the government to be involved in the home.' The opposition frustrated Bernstein, who pointed out that the state's 2022 law that granted six weeks of paid parental leave passed the legislature almost unanimously. This year's bill expanding that leave passed the House but hasn't seen movement in the Senate. It can be picked up again when the legislature returns in January. Other South Carolina Republicans backed the bill, citing their own families' experiences following the birth of their children, reported the South Carolina Daily Gazette. More conservative states are also responding to the needs of 'sandwich generation' employees who may be caring for aging parents as well as children, Freeland said. Earlier this year, Tennessee became the first Southern state to expand its state paid leave policy beyond just parental leave. The state legislature voted almost unanimously to extend its six-week paid leave policy to cover state workers providing end-of-life care to a family member. 'We're seeing a growing recognition that people need support for these types of family or caregiving needs,' said Freeland, 'and that it strengthens the workforce and economy to be able to provide that.' Stateline reporter Anna Claire Vollers can be reached at avollers@ SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gov. Kay Ivey signs bill giving paid parental leave to state, public school employees
Rep. Ginny Shaver (left), R-Leesburg, and Sen. Vivian Figures (right), D-Mobile, laughing in the House press room at the Alabama State House in Montgomery, Alabama, on March 20, 2025. Ivey signed the pair's legislation to give eight weeks of parental leave to state employees and educators. (Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector) Gov. Kay Ivey Wednesday signed a bill giving public school educators and state employees paid parental leave. SB 199, sponsored by Sen. Vivian Figures, D-Mobile, allows women who give birth, have a stillbirth, or a miscarriage after 12 weeks to receive eight weeks of paid leave. It also allows the father to take two weeks of paid leave under those circumstances. If a couple adopts a child under three years old, either parent may have eight weeks of leave if they are both eligible employees. 'No parent should have to choose between their paycheck and spending time with their newly welcomed child,' Ivey said in a statement. 'Today, Alabama sends a clear message: We value families, and we value our workforce.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The law, named the Alabama Public Employee Paid Parental Leave Act of 2025, will go into effect on July 1. The legislation passed the House 94-2 on March 20. The two votes against it were male representatives that claimed parents could use their accrued sick leave or 'catastrophic' sick leave for parental leave. According to the Alabama State Department of Education, teachers earn one sick day per month for 10 months. Rep. Ginny Shaver, R-Leesburg, a longtime supporter of paid parental leave who carried Figures' bill in the House, said during debate on the House floor last month that it takes more than 10 days to recover from having a baby. 'Having a baby is a normal function. The catastrophic leave is for that, catastrophic and for unusual circumstances,' Shaver said in March. The legislation does not make parental leave an accruable benefit. According to the Legislative Services Agency, the leave will cost $10,750 for parents that take eight weeks and $2,600 for those that take two weeks. Figures sponsored a bill last year for educators that was changed to remove male employees' leave and leave in the case of a miscarriage and stillborn. The Senate passed the bill, but then-Senate President Pro Tem Greg Reed, R-Jasper, prevented it from being sent to the House, something any senator can do after the 26th legislative day. 'Paid leave is an essential tool for workforce and economic growth, providing education and state employees with the opportunity to care for their newborn or newly adopted child without worrying about unnecessary financial strain,' Figures said in a statement. According to the statement, providing paid parental leave to public employees was a recommendation included in the Final Report of the Governor's Study Group on Efficiency in State Government as a way to increase the recruitment and retention of public employees. 'This is a proud day for Alabama families, and I want to thank Sen. Vivian Figures and Rep. Ginny Shaver for championing this effort from the very start,' Ivey said. Shaver sponsored the House version of the bill. She echoed Ivey that the bill supports Alabama's values. 'By providing paid parental leave for state employees and education employees, we are not only recognizing the fundamental importance of family, but also investing in the well-being and stability of our workforce,' Shaver said in a statement. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gov. Kay Ivey says she will sign parental leave bill for state employees, educators
Rep. Ginny Shaver (left), R-Leesburg, and Sen. Vivian Figures (right), D-Mobile, laughing in the House press room at the Alabama State House in Montgomery, Alabama, on March 20, 2025. The pair passed legislation to give eight weeks of parental leave to state employees and educators. (Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector) The Alabama House of Representatives Thursday gave final approval to a bill extending paid parental leave to all state and education employees staring July 1, sending the bill to Gov. Kay Ivey. The House passed SB 199, sponsored by Sen. Vivian Figures, D-Mobile, 94-2 after substituting it for HB 327, sponsored by Rep. Ginny Shaver, R-Leesburg. The bill allows women who give birth, have a stillbirth, or a miscarriage after 12 weeks to receive eight weeks of paid leave. It also allows a father to take two weeks of paid leave under those circumstances. If a couple adopts a child under 3 years old, either parent may have eight weeks of leave. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'I think the impact will be seen in future years, and the effects of it and how it helps families, and helps to support families and enable them to properly bond with their children and have that time at home to take care of their children,' Shaver said after the bill passed. Figures carried a version of the legislation that only applied to educators last year, but it died in the Senate in the last week of the session. 'This day has really touched my heart,' Figures said in an interview. Ivey, who called for the legislation in her State of the State address in February, said in a statement posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, that she would sign the bill. 'Thank you to Rep. Ginny Shaver and Sen. Vivian Figures for carrying this important legislation. I look forward to receiving the bill and getting my signature on it,' she wrote. Under current law, educators are given two weeks of paid leave for 'catastrophic' sick leave, which parents usually take when they have a baby, Shaver said. She also said that catastrophic sick leave should be reserved for unusual circumstances. 'Having a baby is a normal function. The catastrophic leave is for that, catastrophic and for unusual circumstances,' Shaver said in an interview. Besides the catastrophic sick leave, teachers accrue one sick day per month of employment. Rep. Jim Carns, R-Birmingham, asked Shaver why teachers could not use those sick days as parental leave. He said that if teachers had not used their sick days for years, they would already have time to take off for parental leave. 'That was built for situations like this, in my opinion,' Carns said. 'After three years, you have 30 days.' Shaver said those sick days could be used when the parent, or child, is sick. 'It takes more than 10 days to recover from having a baby,' Shaver said. Carns and Rep. Ben Harrison, R-Elkmont, voted against the bill. Harrison said he was worried that the benefit would deter people from working in the private sector. Shaver said the legislation will serve as a recruiting tool for state jobs. 'We are using taxpayer dollars from the private sector to recruit employees away from the private sector to fill these jobs,' Harrison said. Figures said after the bill passed that she was unaware of the lack of parental leave for state employees until her son, U.S. Congressman Shomari Figures, D-Mobile, told her about it while on the campaign trail. She said women deserve to be represented and advocated for. 'Women populate this world. We are the ones who have to conceive that child,' she said. 'We are the ones who have to carry that child for nine months, unless you have a health issue or whatever. Then when that child comes into this world, it's the mother that that child looks to.' When Figures carried the legislation last year for educators, it was changed to remove male employees' leave in the case of a miscarriage and stillborn. Former Senate Pro Tem Greg Reed blocked the bill from passage on the 27th legislative day. Figures said after SB 199 passed the House that she is pleased that the chambers could work together across the aisle to pass legislation for parents. 'It signifies that you can have a bill that means so much to so many people, as well as you can have a bill working with the other party, with someone who's a member of the other party.' Shaver said parents should not have to stress about financials when starting a family. 'That's our Alabama values, no matter who you are: to support families,' she said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Alabama Alzheimer's task force could propose tax credit for caregivers
Rep. Ginny Shaver, R-Leesburg, chairs the Alzheimer's Task Force subcommittee on advocacy and policy on March 18, 2025 in Montgomery, Ala. (Alander Rocha/Alabama Reflector) A state committee looking at Alzheimer's policy is considering proposing a new tax credit to assist caregivers with expenses related to adult incontinence supplies, citing the financial burden of Alzheimer's and dementia care. The proposal, discussed at a Tuesday meeting of the advocacy and policy subcommittee, aims to build on previously proposed legislation to provide tax relief for mothers and families with newborns with essentials such as diapers and baby formulas. 'We serve a lot of people with dementia, and all of them are in need of incontinence supplies,' said Anna Pritchett, state director for advocacy at AARP Alabama, adding that the costs add up quickly. 'Why don't we piggyback on that and just say, also including maybe people over the age of [a certain limit]?' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Alabama in 2022 had the second highest mortality rate from Alzheimer's disease, behind only Mississippi, at 46.8 per 100,000 people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Alzheimer's disease was the sixth-leading cause of death in the state in 2023, remaining unchanged from 2020. Different factors contribute to the high mortality rate, but it is mostly due to poor health access in rural parts of the state, primarily in the Black Belt, a region with some of the highest rates of Alzheimer's in the state. Task force proposes new strategies to expand Alzheimer's care and research in Alabama The Alzheimer's Association estimated that slightly over 100,000 people over 65 in Alabama living with Alzheimer's in 2020, or about 12% of that population. Rep. Ginny Shaver, R-Leesburg, the chair of the committee, said that a bill addressing tax credits for infant supplies is already under consideration and will be introduced soon. The bill was introduced in the 2024 session but failed to pass before the end of the session. Shaver said that the timing could allow for an amendment to expand eligibility to seniors. 'We've got that bill coming up. I might be able to make that happen right now,' they said. The Legislature is scheduled to hold its 15th legislative day, the midpoint of the 2025 session, on Wednesday. Advocates said that financial relief is essential, as the cost of caring for an aging loved one can be not only overwhelming but also expensive. Public awareness of available support remains a significant concern, with committee members saying there is still a significant need for better outreach and education. Members proposed a website that would serve as a hub for caregivers to get information on available services and support. 'Most people don't even know there's an [assisted living communities],' said Christy deGraffenried, vice president of governmental relations for the Alabama Nursing Home Association 'Then there's nursing homes, then there's home health. They don't even understand the basics of what are the levels of care.' The task force was established in 2023 by a House Joint Resolution and tasked with establishing recommendations on how to improve the state's care system for Alzheimer's and other dementia-related diseases. Task force members will meet at the end of the month to propose recommendations to the Legislature and Gov. Kay Ivey by May 5. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Task force proposes new strategies to expand Alzheimer's care and research in Alabama
Rep. Ginny Shaver, R-Leesburg, speaks to a colleague on the floor of the Alabama House of Representatives on Feb. 6, 2025 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) A state committee looking into research and innovation for Alzheimer's disease treatments Monday discussed the need to assess current funding and enhancing investment in Alzheimer's research, as well as ideas to better connect researchers with colleagues and patients. 'The numbers are increasing all the time in the state of people who are suffering from this disease. So, it's all about prevention, early detection (and) getting people care,' Rep. Ginny Shaver, R-Leesburg, said after the meeting. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The task force, established in 2023 by a House Joint Resolution, is tasked with establishing recommendations on how to improve the state's care system for Alzheimer's and other dementia-related diseases. The task force is expected to present a plan before the end of the current session, likely in May, at which time the task force will be dissolved. Shaver indicated that a permanent committee may be needed to carry out the recommendations. Alabama task force charts five-year plan to tackle Alzheimer's disease Members of the task force also discussed establishing a grant program for Alzheimer's and dementia-related diseases. Other states have implemented some funding mechanisms. Shaver cited a Georgia's tax check-off program as an idea, which directs state income tax donations toward Alzheimer's research and care initiatives. 'It took $4.12 million to establish five memory assessment clinics in Georgia, and they've since expanded to eight clinics with an annual budget of $7.12 million,' Shaver said, adding that it came out to about $15,000 to treat one patient. Another concern was improving access to care, particularly for rural and underserved populations. 'Not everybody can travel up to Birmingham for an assessment,' Shaver said. 'I can tell you my personal story with my sister. When she came to Alabama because of her health condition two and a half years ago and then trying to get her diagnosed. We were going to every different kind of doctor.' The subcommittee looked at potential solutions, including creating an Alzheimer's research work group to connect researchers across the state and launching a centralized website for clinical trial opportunities. The subcommittee also proposed forming a data work group to gather and analyze statewide Alzheimer's-related information aimed at increasing data availability. The full task force is expected to convene by the end of March to review and decide on recommendations for Alabama's statewide Alzheimer's plan to present to Gov. Kay Ivey and the Legislature. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
