County Commission committee endorses paid parental leave
A resolution approved by the Shelby County Commission’s general government committee Wednesday, March 4, establishes a paid parental leave policy for employees who have babies or adopt a child.
The initiative, proposed by County Mayor Lee Harris, would give full-time and part-time employees six weeks of leave with full pay at an estimated cost of $830,000 annually for the county.
The funding would come from projected increases in sales tax revenues from online sales, Harris said.
“The goal is to make sure that parents, both mothers and fathers, have an opportunity to bond with their child without having to worry about financial hardships,” he said after the vote.
The proposed resolution by Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris giving Shelby County employees six weeks of leave at full pay for employees who have babies or adopt was approved by the County Commission's general government committee on March 4, 2020. (Jim Weber/Daily Memphian file)
The new policy would take effect July 1, 2020, the first day of the 2021 fiscal year.
Over the past four years, as many 106 and as few as 65 county employees have taken parental time off, Lauren Lee, Harris’ public information officer, told commissioners while presenting the plan.
New parents are allowed four months off, but it is unpaid time, Lee said.
Paid parental leave has become a standard part of paid family leave policies, she said.
Harris, Lee said, was inspired by a pregnant county employee who reached out because she did not have enough sick or vacation time to take the adequate time off after having her baby.
Paid parental leave is another way to prioritize families and to recruit and retain talent, Harris said.
It is also a bi-partisan issue, he said.
“I don’t say this very often, but I agree with (President) Donald Trump on this issue. Donald Trump has really been leading the way at the federal level. At the state level, we saw an effort by Gov. (Bill) Lee to also as best he could to put forward a discussion on paid parental leave. We hope he has success there,” Harris said.”
The resolution was amended by Commissioner Willie Brooks to specify it was for parents with physical custody of the child.
Commissioner Brandon Morrison voted for the resolution, but “my support comes with stress about the budget process.”
The resolution passed 12-0. Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. was absent.
The full commission votes on the measure Monday, March 9.
Topics
Shelby County Commission Lee Harris
Linda A. Moore
Linda A. Moore covers education, South Memphis and Whitehaven. A native of South Memphis, Linda has covered news in Memphis and Shelby County for more than 20 years and was formerly a reporter with The Commercial Appeal.
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