02-04-2025
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
