NC law extends parental leave to 12 weeks for state employees
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- Gov. Josh Stein signed a bill to extend paid parental leave to 12 weeks for state workers.
- Previous law provided eight weeks for birth parents and four weeks for non-birth parents.
- The comprehensive human resources bill passed unanimously and includes broader HR changes.
State employees will be able to take up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave after Gov. Josh Stein signed new legislation on Monday.
Current law gives eight weeks of paid parental leave to state employees who gave birth and four weeks for other parents.
Staci Meyer, the state human resources director, said that the current system isn’t enough to keep up with the rigor of the 21st century workforce.
“The Stein administration has a core belief that if we invest in our most valuable asset — our people — then we’ll have a stronger, safer and healthier North Carolina for everyone,” Meyer said.
The Republican-controlled General Assembly approved the bill in unanimous, bipartisan votes last week and sent it to the Democratic governor.
Anna Troxler, a public school teacher who spoke at the bill signing, said that when she had her first child, she did not receive paid parental leave and relied on accrual and unpaid leave. This created a financial burden for her and her family, she said, but she needed to take leave for her own health.
When she had her second child in 2023, she received eight weeks of paid leave, which she called a “huge relief.”
“It’s so important for teachers to be able to take care of themselves in order to take care of their students,” Troxler said. “And this bill provides the support needed for teachers to do so.”
Meyer said that the extended parental leave, and many more human resources changes in Senate Bill 1041, will encourage more people to work for the state. According to the Bipartisan Policy Center, just 14 states and the District of Columbia have “comprehensive, mandatory” state-paid parental leave.
“Now, any parent knows that juggling work and being a new parent is no small task,” Stein said. “But with this state policy, we’re making it easier for parents to succeed in the state’s workforce.”
