A bill that would give Alabama teachers and state workers up to eight weeks of paid parental leave is making its way to the governor’s desk.

The proposed law would give female employees eight weeks of paid parental leave in the event of a birth, stillbirth or miscarriage of a child. Male employees would receive two weeks of leave under the same circumstances.

If passed, Alabama would join at least 36 other states that give paid leave to state employees.

“We say we’re pro-life, and people say we don’t care about them after they’re born, and this is showing that we do,” Rep. Ginny Shaver, R-Leesburg, told members on the House floor Thursday. “It’s a very pro-family bill, and we want to support families.”

The bipartisan legislation, spearheaded by Shaver and Sen. Vivian Figures, D-Mobile, won early support from Gov. Kay Ivey, who has called it a “pro-family, pro-workforce and pro-Alabama bill.” The House on Thursday voted 94-2 to approve a final Senate version of the bill, and it now awaits the governor’s signature.

In a post on X Thursday, Ivey said she looks “forward to receiving the bill and getting my signature on it.”

The legislation could impact thousands of workers across the state.

As of 2023, Alabama employed 28,807 state employees, according to the state personnel department. Just over 57,000 staff work for public schools, and at least 53,000 are employed at state colleges and universities.

The Alabama Education Association told the Alabama Daily News that that between 2,000 and 2,200 K-12 female teachers could have been covered by maternity leave between 2019 and 2023. In 2024, that number dropped to 1,500.

The bills also provide specified amounts of paid parental leave for eligible employees who adopt a child who is three years old or younger.

The legislation includes a return-to-work provision that would require employees to resume their positions for at least eight weeks following their paid parental leave. Exceptions may be granted in certain circumstances, including cases of serious health conditions.

Sponsors made some final tweaks to the legislation in recent weeks to include community college, charter school and state board of education employees.

On the floor Thursday, Shaver said the issue was personal for her: Her daughter, a third-grade teacher, had to be hospitalized after pregnancy complications and was forced to take unpaid leave, she said.

“She had to pay all of her benefits. Their family’s insurance was through her, so she had to pay all of her insurance,” she said. “And so that really showed me how we have a need for this, to support women and families and babies. And I think it’s well worth our money.”

Paid parental leave was one of several recommendations offered in a 2023 final report from the Governor’s Study Group on Efficiency in State Government, which sought to address increasing employee turnover rates in the state.

Currently, 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.

The legislation saw some early pushback over costs to administer the program. A fiscal note now says it would “decrease the potential savings” of state entities by about $10,750 for state workers and about $8,100 for education employees who use eight weeks of leave.

For teachers, salaries are budgeted at the beginning of the year, so the policy wouldn’t cause districts to lose money, sponsors said.

One lawmaker, Rep. Ben Harris, R-Lauderdale, said he’s had to field calls from business owners who were worried that the benefits would draw employees away from companies.

“I think it’s unfair to employers in the private sector to be competing and giving benefits that typically they can’t afford to pay,” he said.

Shaver listed a number of companies that provide paid leave policies, including Alabama Power, universities and insurance agencies.

“We need quality employees working for the state, too,” she said, noting that other surrounding states have adopted similar policies. “Many employers do offer this and we are in competition for good employees.”

Figures and Shaver told reporters Thursday that the legislation would help boost the state’s workforce and improve families’ wellbeing.

“This day has really touched my heart,” Figures said. “It’s good for our education system, it’s good for us to be able to recruit the personnel we need and be able to retain them. My heart is just full of joy.”

If signed into law, the legislation will go into effect July 1, 2025.

Mike Cason contributed reporting.