The Iowa House has overwhelmingly approved a bill that would make state employees with a new child eligible for paid parental leave.
That’s Representative Taylor Collins of Mediapolis, who briefly explained the plan during House debate. It would give four weeks of paid leave to state employees who give birth and one week to the other parent. Adoptive parents would get four weeks. Representative Sami Scheetz, a Democrat from Cedar Rapids, says good benefits help make state employee positions more attractive, since salaries aren’t competitive with the private sector, and paid parental leave is a good first step.
This is the third year Governor Reynolds has proposed paid maternal and paternal leave for state employees and the first time it has won House approval. It passed on an 87-to-two vote. Both no votes were from Republicans in the House. Currently, soon-to-be parents who are state employees save up vacation days so they can take time off to care for a newborn or a newly-adopted child.
