Legislative lowdown: Allegheny County passes paid parental leave

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Pennsylvania’s Allegheny County, which includes Pittsburgh, recently passed a paid parental leave program. It’s the first such program to be passed at the county level in the US.

The law, which was passed by the county council, grants 12 weeks of paid leave to parents to bond with a new child. It applies to both birthing and non-birthing partners, and also extends to employees who have experienced a stillbirth, or had a child through adoption or foster care.

“Paid leave is not a luxury. Paid leave is NOT radical. It should be a floor,” Sara Innamorato, the Allegheny county executive, said in a statement. “And it’s good for all of us: stronger families, healthier babies, workers who stay in the workforce, and employers who keep their people.”

Employers with 15 or more employees will be required to give eligible workers paid leave under the new program, which will take effect over the next 6–12 months. Unlike other paid leave programs in the country—which are often funded by the employees themselves, or a combination of the employer and the employee—this program will be entirely funded by employers.

Businesses must give employees their full base pay while on leave, up to a maximum of $4,200 a week. They can fulfill their obligations through a private insurance benefit, but it must meet the wage requirements of the county program.

Full-time workers must have been employed for 180 days, or about six months, in order to take advantage of the benefit. Part-time workers have to log at least 625 hours during that time period in order to be eligible for paid leave. Temporary or seasonal employees aren’t eligible for the program.

Beyond the FMLA. Allegheny County joins a growing list of jurisdictions enacting leave programs that go further than the Family and Medical Leave Act, the federal statute that allows workers to take 12 weeks of unpaid leave.

Fourteen states and Washington, DC, now have mandatory paid family leave programs in place, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center.

Employers are expanding their paid leave programs as a result of these new statutes, but may struggle to stay on top of administrative tasks such as tracking workers’ time off, HR Brew previously reported. When employers were surveyed by consulting firm WTW last year, 29% reported finding it “difficult” or “very difficult” to remain compliant with leave laws.