wfalabama.org
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 Thursday to make paid leave a reality for Alabama state employees and teachers. Final passage occurred in the House on a vote of 94 yeas, two nays, and two abstentions. The bill will now go to Governor Kay Ivey for her expected signature.
Women’s Foundation of Alabama applauds passage of Senate Bill (SB) 199, as a critical step to increasing and retaining labor force participation of women in Alabama. Nearly 60 percent of state employees and 80 percent of teachers are women making paid leave a smart 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,” said the WFA.
SB199 provides up to eight weeks of paid parental leave to full time female state employees and educators for the birth, stillbirth, and miscarriage of a child. Full-time male state employees and educators would receive two weeks of paid parental leave for the birth, stillbirth, and miscarriage of a child. Eligible employees are also entitled to eight weeks and two weeks for the adoption of a child three years 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 Women’s Foundation of Alabama. “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.”
“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,” said Senator Vivian Davis Figures (D-Mobile) the Senate sponsor of the bill. “It was a pleasure working with Rep. Ginny Shaver, House sponsor, Governor Ivey, and her phenomenal staff to bring it all together. It is the right thing to do. 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.”
“This significant piece of legislation is an example of how we value children and families in our state,” said Representative Ginny Shaver (R-Leesburg) a sponsor of the bill. “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.”
