Just 6 weeks after giving birth to her third son, Missouri Auditor Nicole Galloway has asked Gov. Eric Greitens to approve new family-friendly leave policies for executive branch state employees.
Parker Briden, Greitens' spokesman, told the News Tribune on Tuesday the policies - which were approved unanimously by the state's Personnel Advisory Board (PAB) in December - were subject to the governor's Jan. 10 "executive order freezing new rules."
The governor also ordered a mandatory review of every regulation currently on the books.
In a news release Tuesday, Galloway reported sending Greitens a letter asking his administration to approve "two important changes to family leave policies for state executive branch employees" - after she learned the administration told the PAB at its Feb. 14 meeting the administration was "not moving ahead with the changes."
In her news release, Galloway explained: "These family-friendly policies were designed to provide additional flexibility to parents by allowing employees to use earned sick leave for parental bonding after the birth or adoption of a child."
The auditor also reminded Greitens the policy changes would benefit employee health and welfare at no additional cost to the state.
"This is paid time off employees have earned through their time in the state workforce but can't use during the critical bonding period that exists in the weeks and months after a child is born or adopted," Galloway said in the release. "Families benefit when parents are involved in the care of a child - and without these policy changes, many state employees will remain prohibited from using their own paid leave to take time off to bond with and care for a new addition to their families."
Briden told the News Tribune: "The governor supports family leave for state employees. Our team is reviewing the auditor's letter and the proposed rule change."
Galloway noted the state's current policies allow employees to use accrued vacation time for parental bonding, but sick leave is limited to pregnancy, childbirth and recovery from childbirth.
"If the employee has no vacation leave, or once that leave is exhausted, the employee may take unpaid time off for parental bonding up to a combined total of 12 weeks of leave after the birth or adoption of a child," she explained. "The maximum amount of protected time off would remain at 12 weeks, but employees could use both vacation and sick leave for parental bonding, which could be spread out over 12 months."
She said the policy changes approved in December also would expand parental leave in instances where both parents are state employees.
Where the state currently allows 12 weeks of protected leave, which must be split between both parents, the new policy would allow 12 weeks to each parent.
Galloway noted the PAB policy changes would affect the executive branch workforce, which is under the control of the governor's office.
But, she said the other five statewide officeholders - including herself - "have the authority to approve their own internal personnel policies."
She urged the other statewide officials - the lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer and attorney general - to examine their own policies to ensure they offer adequate leave benefits.
"These leave benefits are key to attracting workers in a state where state employees are among the lowest paid in the nation," she said.
Galloway reported taking "steps to ensure these beneficial family leave policies apply to employees of the state auditor's office" and also highlighted a recent change in her policies to allow her staff to use sick leave or shared leave in situations involving domestic violence.
While championing the new rules for her staff, Galloway didn't rely on them following her son's birth Jan. 6.
Galloway spokeswoman Gena Terlizzi said: "She did work from home for the first few weeks after Joseph was born.
"As you know, this office is quite active, so she didn't take a traditional maternity leave," and recently has been coming in to the Jefferson City office.
Galloway noted the policies approved by the PAB she supports for state employees would have no impact on private businesses.