Gov. Ivey signs paid parental leave into law

Surrounded by working parents, teachers and public servants from across the state, Governor Kay Ivey on Wednesday signed into law SB199, the Alabama Public Employee Paid Parental Leave Act of 2025/Source: Office of Governor Kay Ivey

State employees and teachers now have paid parental leave.

Gov. Kay Ivey signed SB 199, known as the Alabama Public Employee Paid Parental Leave Act of 2025, into law Wednesday.

Sponsored by Sen. Vivian Figures and Rep. Ginny Shaver, the law provides paid parental leave for eligible public employees.

Under the law, female employees will receive eights of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, stillbirth or miscarriage of her child, while male employees will receive two weeks of paid parental leave in those same circumstances.

The new law also addresses adoptive parents. If the child is three years or younger, the parents will receive eight weeks for one parents and two weeks for the other at the choice of the parents, if both are eligible employees.

This law also includes a return-to-work provision, requiring employees to return for at least eight weeks after taking leave, with exceptions in certain circumstances, including serious health conditions.

The new law goes into effect on July 1, 2025.