BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Alabama lawmakers Tuesday filed a bill calling for paid parental leave for eligible state and education employees beginning July 1.
The Alabama K-12 Public School and State Employee Paid Parental Leave Act of 2025, filed as Senate Bill 199 and House Bill 327, would give eight weeks of fully paid leave to female employees and two weeks to male employees in connection with the birth, stillbirth, or miscarriage of a child.
Adoptive parents of children aged three or younger would also be eligible for up to eight weeks of leave. Employees must have worked for at least 12 months to qualify.
Gov. Kay Ivey called the bill a “pro-family, pro-workforce and pro-Alabama” initiative.
“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,” Ivey said.
Information on how much the leave will cost the state was not available Tuesday. The Senate version of the bill will be in that chamber’s education budget committee this morning.
Alabama Education Association Executive Director Amy Marlowe said the legislation is overdue.
“It’s past time for Alabama education employees to have paid parental leave,” she said. She called it an “excellent” bill, noting that it acknowledges both mothers and fathers as well as adoptive parents.
If both parents are eligible employees, one can receive eight weeks of leave while the other receives two weeks. The leave could be taken in segments but must be used within a year of the qualifying event.
Employees taking paid leave would have to return to work for at least eight weeks, though exceptions could be made for health-related reasons.
Sponsor Sen. Vivian Figures, D-Mobile, carried a similar bill last year, which did not make it to final passage. She said this bill would help parents care for their children “without worrying about unnecessary financial strain” while also supporting workforce stability and productivity.
Several neighboring states, including Georgia, Florida and Tennessee, have added paid parental leave for teachers and state employees in recent years.
The latest data from the state officials showed 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.
Rep. Ginny Shaver, R-Leesburg, is sponsoring the House bill and called the proposal “a shining example of how important children, born and unborn, are in our state.”
Rep. Debbie Wood, R-Valley, also advocated last year for parental leave. She said the measure “strengthens families, improves employee retention and ensures that our public servants can return to work ready to serve our communities.”
Right now, teachers must save up sick leave – typically earning one day for each month of employment – to cover time off for maternity leave. At that rate, it takes nearly five years to accumulate enough sick leave for eight weeks of maternity leave.
Federal law allows additional leave, but it’s unpaid. That creates another burden because teachers must cover the cost of their substitutes while they’re out. How that’s done differs by system, but in many cases, unpaid leave means out-of-pocket expenses for teachers.