Paid family leave for state employees on the table for SC lawmakers this year
After the initiative received public support from S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster and Democratic lawmakers last year, S.C. legislators will push to give state employees 12 weeks of paid family leave during the upcoming session.
S.C. Sen. Darrell Jackson, D-Richland, introduced a bill that would give leave to mothers and fathers after the birth or adoption of a new child. It would also give leave to state employees who take in foster children. South Carolina state employees are currently not offered any paid family leave, but instead, have to accrue time over the years.
The bill would not affect family leave policies at private businesses across the state. However, some employees are eligible for unpaid family leave under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act. Whether employees can use disability benefits for maternity leave depends on the employer.
Some bills prefiled in the House have not been made public yet, so it is unclear if a companion bill will be filed in that chamber.
Last year, McMaster, a Republican, worked with two Democratic lawmakers from Richland County — Jackson and S.C. Rep. Beth Bernstein — to create a pair of bills that would have matched President Donald Trump’s family leave policy, which gave federal workers 12 paid weeks of leave. Trump’s initiative passed as part of defense spending bill in December 2019.
McMaster said last March that offering family leave would give state employees who are becoming parents incentive to stay in their jobs. He added that the bill would be a “big plus” for the state’s economy.
“We want to keep people working,” McMaster said in March. “We don’t want them to quit work and have to go home and take care of a child. We know that the strongest bond there is is that family child.”
McMaster announced his support of the bills March 4. Both Republicans and Democrats signed on as sponsors to both the House and Senate bills, but the pieces of legislation did not make it through their respective committees before session was cut short due to COVID-19.
