Legislation to give Alabama teachers and state employees up to eight weeks of paid parental leave is moving quickly through the state legislature.

Two bills, SB199 and HB327, were recently approved by House and Senate committees and now await a full vote in their respective chambers. The bipartisan legislation would give pregnant women eight weeks of paid leave and men up to two weeks of time off for the birth, stillbirth, miscarriage or adoption of a child.

“It’s so exciting to get to this point,” sponsor Ginny Shaver, R-Leesburg said in a committee meeting Wednesday.

The legislation has the support of Gov. Kay Ivey, who championed the bills in her State of the State address. Some members, however, disagreed on length of coverage for some scenarios and said they needed more information on the total cost of the program.

“We don’t have a good fiscal note, and that gives us some pause,” said chairman Danny Garrett, R-Trussville.

It’s currently unclear how much will need to be allotted in the state budget to cover a new parental leave policy. A fiscal note says the legislation “would decrease the potential savings” of schools by an average of $8,600 per female employee that uses eight weeks of leave, and $2,100 per male that uses two weeks of leave. It also would cost schools an estimated $120 a day to hire a long-term substitute teacher.

Shaver said the legislation could impact an average of 2,000 employees a year, according to data on new insurance dependents from the Retirement Systems of Alabama, but that number ebbs and flows.

Public school educators must build up a bank of sick leave days or take unpaid leave to care for a newborn or adopted child. Public school teachers generally are given 10 sick days each year.

Shaver said schools already budget for teachers’ yearly salaries, regardless of whether they plan to take leave or not.

“I don’t think there’s people out there waiting on this to happen to have a baby,” she said. “But those costs are already being paid now, they’re taking leave one way or another.”

Last year, a similar effort to give teachers paid maternity leave gathered steam, but failed to gain passage through both houses.

Debbie Wood, R-Valley, a former sponsor of the legislation, said she learned from visits with teachers that a lack of paid parental leave and other pay issues were leading them to discourage their peers from joining the profession.

“I do know that it costs the state money, but I do think that it’s incredibly important that we offer maternity leave for our educators,” Wood said. “It’s a recruitment tool.”

The legislation currently covers paid leave for miscarriages, so long as they occur after 12 weeks of pregnancy and are confirmed by a medical professional.

In a Senate committee last week, SB199 sponsor Sen. Vivian Figures, D-Mobile, said she would be open to an amendment to loosen those restrictions. Some members, however, said they believed the length of time off for miscarriages and adoptions should be shortened.

Bill sponsors said they would also work to ensure some state entities, such as community colleges and youth services, are also included in the legislation..

Garrett said he hopes updated versions will include more information about how much the program will cost.

The bills will head to the House and Senate for a full vote before they can be signed into law. If passed, the legislation will go into effect on July 1, 2025.