A local lawmaker wants state employees to maintain their wages while taking time off after the birth or adoption of a new child.
Rep. Jay Barnes, R-Jefferson City, testified in front of the Government Oversight and Accountability Committee, which he chairs, on Monday, advocating for state employees to receive pay for 10 work days upon becoming parents. He described his bill as "pro-life, pro-family legislation."
"I think this is becoming fairly common in the private sector, and ... for new parents, it means a great deal to be able to spend those days at home with their newborn," Barnes said. "I don't want them to have to give up vacation time for those first weeks at home to be with the child."
In Missouri, state employees are not paid while caring for their newborn or newly adopted children, according to the Office of Administration. They are allowed 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protective leave as stipulated by the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993.
Barnes's bill applies to mothers and fathers.
He said it's also designed to prevent state employees from using time off they've earned, like sick and vacation days, to care for their new children and still be paid.
"I don't want to penalize them for the fact that they show up to work every day," Barnes said.
Two organizations - the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri and Empower Missouri - testified in favor of the bill. Jeanette Mott Oxford, executive director of Empower Missouri, said the bill would improve the employment conditions for the state's workforce - the lowest paid in the country.
"We think that parental leave is a way to help families get a good start at the beginning of a child's life," Oxford said. "It's good for society to respond to the children by offering support to parents in all kinds of ways, but parental leave is one of those ways."
California and Rhode Island are the only two states to fully pay their employees as they take time off for a new child, and New Jersey compensates its employees for up to two-thirds of wages up to $524 per week for six weeks, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Connecticut and the District of Columbia permit government employees a maximum of 16 weeks leave time, but it is unpaid. Rhode Island state employees can take 13 weeks of unpaid leave.
The bill is currently without a fiscal note, but Barnes said departments are analyzing the potential financial impacts. Once a fiscal note is included, the committee will take a vote.
Gov. Jay Nixon called for increased "family-friendly policies" for state employees - particularly parental leave - during his State of the State address last week.
"It's good for kids, it's good for families - and it's good for our state," Nixon said in his speech.
In addition, Nixon proposed a 2 percent pay increase for state employees.