Earlier this month, North Carolina Governor Josh Stein signed legislation modernizing the state’s paid parental leave policy for state employees, expanding the policy to provide 12 weeks of paid leave for those who give birth, adopt or foster a child, and experience stillbirth or the death of a child during birth, while also providing full access of this leave to both parents. Both full time and part time employees are eligible to receive this leave, which will support healthy outcomes for families across this workforce. Additionally, local school boards of education and the boards of trustees of community colleges are required to implement substantially equivalent policies covering their own employees.
The Public Workforce Modernization Act, which passed with strong bipartisan support, makes North Carolina the first state in the South to provide 12 weeks of fully paid leave to both mothers and fathers who work in the public sector, which includes state employees, community college employees, and employees in the K-12 public school system.
Since 2019, North Carolina has been a leader in the South, demonstrating that policies like paid parental leave for the public sector are a strong tool to recruit and retain quality employees while also supporting positive health outcomes for children and families.
“We applaud our partners in North Carolina who have worked fiercely to ensure that no family has to choose between taking care of their health and their paycheck,” says Kameron Dawson, Legal Director of A Better Balance’s Southern Office. “This is one major step to ensuring that paid leave can be accessed by all workers in North Carolina.”