Beshear, Coleman announce 6-week paid leave program for Kentucky state employees
State employees will be able to take up to six weeks of paid leave every 10 years of employment, Gov. Andy Beshear and Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman announced at a press conference Thursday.
Starting in the summer of next year, state government workers will be able to take up to six weeks of paid leave for the birth, adoption or fostering of a child as well as a qualifying medical condition. The benefit is conferred on day one of employment and employees will get another six weeks once they reach 10 years and 20 years of employment, Beshear said.
The program will be adopted through the promulgation of an administrative regulation, which does not involved the majority-GOP state legislature, Beshear, who is a Democrat, said. Republican proponents of a paid family leave policy — Sen. Amanda Mays Bledsoe, R-Lexington, chief among them — have stated previously that they believe the governor had the authority to make this happen.
Bledsoe, who previously filed legislation on the issue, applauded the program.
“I believe in the benefits of paid family leave and fully support implementing this benefit for our Commonwealth’s employees. Kentucky has lagged in this area for far too long. Many people have long recognized that this is a pro-family and pro-workforce step forward that will result in increased retention, competitiveness, and morale,” Bledsoe wrote in a statement.
The Lexington Republican also said that she will more thoroughly review the regulation as it moves through the process and consider whether or not it should be codified into state law “or perhaps take steps to strengthen it further.”
“This is a unique approach to providing paid family leave, so it deserves our attention,” she added.
Coleman stressed the need for the policy, citing her own experience giving birth and experiencing a health scare while in office.
“Two months after taking the oath of office, I gave birth to Evelyn, so I know how critical those first days and weeks are to bonding with your newborn,” Coleman said. “And in six days, it will be exactly one year since my double mastectomy, so I know how important it is to focus on your health without having to worry about work.
“But just about everybody has a story like this, and if you don’t, chances are you love someone who does.”
