FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — In a recent committee hearing in Frankfort, representatives from the ACLU of Kentucky and other advocacy groups called for changes to the state’s paid leave policy for state workers. Currently, state employees get six weeks of paid parental leave for childbirth, adoption, or foster care, which can only be utilized once every decade. Advocates argue that this is not enough time for families.
Brittany Elam from Kentucky Voices for Health spoke during the meeting: “Unless we expect families to plan out these births or adoptions or their medical needs like dentist appointments, this simply doesn’t reflect reality for most families.”
Elam was joined by a representative from March of Dimes, who highlighted the benefits of improved paid leave policies.
According to Nikki Boyd from March of Dimes, “Studies have consistently shown that paid leave reduces turnover costs for businesses, boosts business productivity, and leads to higher workforce participation among women.”
With over 52,000 babies born in Kentucky each year, and approximately 70% of those homes having both parents working, the necessity for better parental leave policies is underscored.
Boyd pointed out the stark realities of inadequate leave: “An international evaluation of paid leave policies shows that an increase of 10 weeks of paid maternity leave resulted in a 10% lower neonatal and infant mortality rate and a 9% lower rate of mortality of children under the age of five.”
Public comments submitted regarding the current leave policy further illustrated the urgency for change. Many state workers expressed that the 10-year limit is unrealistic, with almost half reporting that they had more than one child by birth or adoption within a decade.
As of October 2024, Kentucky remains one of the few states without comprehensive paid parental leave policies for state employees. According to Kentucky Voices for Health, 36 states and Washington D.C. have adopted various paid parental leave policies, typically providing between six to twelve weeks per event, such as childbirth, adoption, or foster placement.
In response to the advocacy for change, Rosemary Holbrook, Assistant General Counsel for the Personnel Cabinet, defended the existing program.
“We have a very comprehensive and competitive leave program we believe already in place. This was a generous enhancement, we think, to have those additional six weeks of leave and we matched it up under our sick leave at the 10-year and 20-year mark,” she said.
