SB305 Alabama 2024 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Vivian Davis FiguresSenator

Democrat

Session

Regular Session 2024

Title

Employees of local boards of education; twelve weeks of paid parental leave following birth of child, placement of child for adoption, miscarriage, or stillbirth provided for; State Board of Education authorized to adopt rules

Summary

SB305 creates the Alabama Family Leave Act, giving eligible state employees and local boards of education employees up to eight weeks of paid parental leave for birth, adoption, or stillbirth within 365 days of the event, with health benefits continued and job protections.

What This Bill Does

It allows eligible employees to take up to eight weeks of paid parental leave for birth, adoption (child age three or younger), or stillbirth, to be used within 365 days of the event. The pay is 100% of base pay, health insurance continues during the leave, and the employee is restored to the same or an equivalent position after the leave, with the leave running concurrently with FMLA. If both parents are eligible in a joint adoption, only one may take paid parental leave. The bill also creates a leave-donation program to transfer unused leave to others under certain limits and requires rules, notices, and annual reporting on implementation.

Who It Affects

• Full-time state employees who have worked for the state for at least 12 consecutive months prior to the qualifying event.
• Certified or noncertified employees of local boards of education who have worked for the local board for at least 12 consecutive months prior to the qualifying event.

Key Provisions

• Adds Chapter 26B (Alabama Family Leave Act) to Title 36 and authorizes eight weeks of paid parental leave for qualifying events (birth, adoption of a child age three or younger, or stillbirth).
• Eligible events must occur within 365 days before or after the event, and no more than eight weeks of paid parental leave may be used in a 365-day period; if jointly adopting, only one parent may receive paid leave.
• Paid parental leave is 100 percent of base pay, health benefits are maintained by the employer, and the employee is not required to exhaust other leave; leave runs concurrently with FMLA.
• Upon return, the employee must be restored to the same or an equivalent position with the same seniority and benefits; unused leave has no cash value and is not counted toward retirement benefits.
• There is a leave-donation program allowing donation of accrued and unused leave to other state employees for catastrophic or family leave, with approvals, a cap of 480 donated hours per recipient, and up to two weeks of donated leave per adoption for recipients.
• State agencies and local boards must adopt rules and policies to implement the act, establish procedures and forms, and provide notices to employees about their rights and the program details.
• The State Personnel Department must report publicly on implementation annually, starting within the first year after passage; the act becomes effective immediately.
• The bill notes that local expenditures related to the act may require a two-thirds vote for local fund changes unless approved by the local entity or funded by the Legislature.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 22, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Education