WE'RE HALFWAY THERE
The Georgia House of Representatives kicked off the sixth week of the 2024 legislative session on Monday, February 12. We convened in the House Chamber for four days and made significant progress as we passed 34 bills and resolutions by the end of the week to send to our Senate counterparts. By Tuesday, we reached Legislative Day 20, which means we are now more than halfway through our 40-day session. With “Crossover Day” looming on Legislative Day 28, we are focused on perfecting legislation for consideration and advancing notable measures on the House floor.
Continuing our commitment to Georgia’s families, the House also took up legislation this week to expand parental leave for our state employees and teachers. The House first led the way on this issue in 2020, and, subsequently, House Bill 146 was signed into law in 2021 to provide state employees and teachers with up to 120 hours, or three weeks, of paid parental leave after the birth of their child or after an adoptive or foster child is first placed in their home. I was proud to be a co-sponsor of House Bill 1010, which passed in the House on Thursday, would modify the current law by extending paid parental leave for state employees to six weeks, doubling the amount of time state employees currently receive. If both parents are state employees, they would each be entitled to six weeks of paid leave, with the flexibility to split these weeks over a twelve-month period. Recognizing that the current three-week period following the birth, adoption or foster care placement of a child often falls short for many parents, HB 1010 would address this by granting parents additional time at home with their families. Also, by expanding this crucial benefit to our state employees and teachers, our state could also retain and recruit the best and brightest workforce.
