Bill > HB5164

This bill introduces a new chapter to the Texas Labor Code that mandates paid parental leave for employees working at companies with 50 or more employees. Full-time employees who have worked for their employer for at least 12 months would be eligible for 60 days of paid leave for events such as the birth of their own or spouse's child, adoption, foster care placement, or kinship care for a child under one year old. The paid leave would be compensated at the employee's average weekly wage from the preceding 12 months, and can be taken within the first year of the child's birth or placement. Employees can take this leave only once in a 12-month period and cannot take additional leave beyond what is already provided by the federal Family and Medical Leave Act. Employers can either directly pay for this leave or maintain an insurance policy to cover the costs, and the bill prohibits employers from taking adverse employment actions against employees who use this leave. Importantly, the bill includes a provision that the paid leave requirement will only take effect if insurers in Texas offer appropriate coverage policies, and the actual implementation of paid leave is delayed until January 1, 2027, with the bill taking effect on September 1, 2025.

Labor and Employment

https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=89R&Bill=HB5164