Bill > H3645

This bill amends South Carolina's state employee paid parental leave policy by increasing the number of weeks of paid leave for both birth and adoption scenarios. Currently, employees who give birth can receive six weeks of paid leave, and other employees can receive two weeks; the bill changes this to twelve weeks for birth parents and four weeks for non-birth parents. The legislation defines eligible state employees as those working in government positions that earn annual leave, including employees at state higher education institutions. The bill specifies that paid parental leave must be taken within twelve months of the qualifying event (birth or adoption), cannot be donated or carried over, and runs concurrently with the Family and Medical Leave Act. The leave is provided at 100% of the employee's base pay and is prorated for part-time employees. Notably, if both parents are state employees, they can take leave concurrently, consecutively, or at different times. Legal holidays do not count against the paid leave, and employees continue to accrue annual and sick leave at the normal rate while on parental leave. The changes will take effect on October 1, 2025, and apply to qualifying events occurring on or after that date.

Budget and Finance

https://www.scstatehouse.gov/billsearch.php?billnumbers=3645&session=126&summary=B