Bill > HB1173

This bill, known as the DeAndre Thompson Parental Bereavement Protection Act, enacts new provisions for parental bereavement and extended compassionate leave for employees in Georgia. It amends existing laws concerning education, labor, and public employees to define "bereavement leave" as time off for the death of an immediate family member (defined broadly to include children, spouses, parents, siblings, grandchildren, grandparents, dependents, and their spouses) and "extended compassionate leave" for specific tragic circumstances like homicide, suicide, death in military action, or being declared a missing person. For employees working at least 30 hours per week for six months with employers having 25 or more employees, this bill grants up to three paid workdays and ten unpaid workdays of bereavement leave per year, and up to four work weeks of unpaid extended compassionate leave per year, provided these leaves do not unduly disrupt operations and are taken within specific timeframes after the qualifying event. Employers can request reasonable documentation, and employees must provide at least 48 hours' notice unless impractical. The bill also prohibits employers from taking adverse employment actions against employees who use or attempt to use this leave, or who oppose violations of the act, with exceptions for fraudulent claims. Public employees and school personnel also receive similar leave entitlements, with specific provisions for school operations and the State Personnel Board. Employees can use other accrued leave to supplement these new leave types, and any unused bereavement or extended compassionate leave will not have cash value upon separation from employment. The bill also establishes a cause of action for employees who experience violations, allowing for legal remedies including injunctions, reinstatement, back pay, and attorney's fees.

Labor and Employment

https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72784