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SB 2438

Mississippi State Employees Paid Parental Leave Act; enact.

2025 Regular Session Introduced by David Blount and 4 co-sponsors

Establishes six weeks of paid parental leave at 100% for eligible Mississippi state employees who are primary caregivers after a child's birth or legal adoption.

Died In Committee
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Bill Summary · SB 2438

Summary — SB 2438: Mississippi State Employees Paid Parental Leave Act

Status: Died in Committee (referred March 2025; last status “Died In Committee” 2025-03-20)
Introduced: March 13, 2025

Purpose

To establish a statutory paid parental leave benefit for eligible State of Mississippi employees, intended to provide compensated time off for primary caregivers after the birth or legal adoption of a child.

Key provisions

  • Name: “Mississippi State Employees Paid Parental Leave Act.”
  • Definitions:
    • “Eligible employee” — full‑time, permanent state employee (state agency, department, or institution) with at least 12 consecutive months of employment and who is the primary caregiver of a child.
    • “Paid parental leave” — compensated absence for qualifying events: birth of the employee’s biological child or legal adoption of a child under 18.
    • “Primary caregiver” / “Secondary caregiver” — roles defining primary vs. secondary responsibility for child care after birth/adoption.
  • Benefit amount and pay:
    • Primary caregivers are entitled to six (6) weeks (240 hours) of paid parental leave, compensated at 100% of regular salary.
    • Leave must be used within 12 weeks of the birth or adoption.
    • Paid parental leave may be taken only once in any 12‑month period.
    • The leave is in addition to other state and federal leave benefits, and it shall not be charged against accrued personal leave or major medical leave (references Sections 25‑3‑93 and 25‑3‑95).
    • Legal state and federal holidays do not count against the paid leave.
    • Leave does not accrue, cannot be carried over or used for retirement credit, and is not payable upon separation from state service.
  • Notice and operational rules:
    • Employees should provide at least 30 calendar days’ advance notice when foreseeable; exceptions for exigent circumstances.
    • Agency heads may restrict use of the leave for public safety reasons.
  • Administration and reporting:
    • The State Personnel Board must develop policies and procedures to administer the program (request/approval processes, documentation, and compliance with state and federal law).
    • Beginning July 1, 2026, and annually thereafter (every July 1), each state agency must report on paid parental leave usage to the State Personnel Board.
  • Local education entities:
    • The bill authorized (and in at least one amendment required) boards of public school districts and community/junior college districts to adopt similar paid parental leave policies for their employees.

Legislative actions / amendments

  • The bill underwent multiple amendments in committee and on the floor that clarified definitions, employer reporting, and school district policy requirements; one amendment proposed a short statutory repeal date (Dec. 31, 2025) in committee markup. The precise caregiver‑classification restrictions were modified by amendment. The bill ultimately died in committee.

Who would be affected

  • Primary effect: eligible full‑time permanent state employees (executive branch agencies, departments, institutions).
  • Secondary/optional effect: employees of public school districts and community/junior college districts if local boards adopt similar policies.
  • Fiscal/administrative impact: increased short‑term payroll costs for the State (6 weeks at full pay per eligible use) and administrative responsibilities for agencies and the State Personnel Board to implement, track, and report use.

Considerations

  • The bill specifies a concrete benefit (6 weeks at 100% pay) and administrative framework but does not include explicit appropriation language or an estimate of total fiscal cost; actual budgetary impact would depend on take‑up rates and agency budgets.
  • The measure was proposed as a statutory addition to existing leave structures and designed to run concurrently with FMLA where applicable.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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