Alabama Legislature passes paid parental leave for state workers

The Alabama Public Employee Paid Parental Leave Act of 2025, sponsored by Senator Vivian Figures, D-Mobile, and Representative Ginny Shaver, R-Leesburg, cleared its final hurdle in the Alabama Legislature on Thursday to make paid leave a reality for state employees and teachers. Final passage occurred in the House with a vote of 94 yeas, two nays, and two abstentions. The bill now heads to Governor Kay Ivey for her expected signature.

The Women’s Foundation of Alabama applauded the passage of Senate Bill 199, calling it a critical step toward increasing and retaining labor force participation among women in Alabama. Nearly 60 percent of state employees and 80 percent of teachers in the state are women, making paid leave both an economic and family investment.

“We applaud Governor Ivey for highlighting this critical issue in her State of the State address earlier this year and the Alabama Legislature for recognizing the importance of paid leave and moving the bill forward with haste,” the foundation said in a statement.

SB199 provides up to eight weeks of paid parental leave to full-time female state employees and educators for the birth, stillbirth, or miscarriage of a child. Full-time male state employees and educators would receive two weeks of paid parental leave under the same circumstances. Eligible employees are also entitled to eight weeks and two weeks of leave, respectively, for the adoption of a child three years of age or younger.

“The issue of paid leave has been a core priority for Women’s Foundation of Alabama since 2022,” said LaShundra Pinkard, interim president and CEO of the foundation. “Our research has highlighted time and time again that access to basic benefits that support women, support families. We are proud to have advocated alongside a cadre of leading organizations from across the state who also believe in the benefits of paid leave and are honored to stand, once again, at the forefront of advancing policy that improves the lives of women and families.”

Senator Figures said the bill is both an economic development tool and the right thing to do.

“Paid leave is a crucial workforce and economic development tool that simultaneously enables our education and state employees who are having and adopting children the time they need to heal, bond, and care for themselves and their loved ones,” Figures said. “It was a pleasure working with Representative Ginny Shaver, House sponsor, Governor Ivey, and her phenomenal staff to bring it all together. I am proud that my colleagues in the Alabama Legislature joined us in making it possible to take the financial strain off of families and giving final passage to a bill that will make paid leave the law of the land for hardworking education and state employees.”

Representative Shaver said the legislation reflects Alabama’s commitment to families.

“This significant piece of legislation is an example of how we value children and families in our state,” Shaver said. “The Parental Leave Act will provide state and education employees with the opportunity to properly bond with their children without the added stress of worrying about their jobs. It is a valuable recruitment and retention tool to attract and keep quality employees and help us remain competitive with peer states who have already enacted these important pro-family policies.”