88(3) SB 52 - Introduced version - Bill Text
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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to a paid parental leave policy at public schools and an |
 
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allotment under the Foundation School Program for the cost of |
 
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providing paid parental leave under that policy. |
 
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             BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
 
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             SECTION  1.    Subchapter A, Chapter 22, Education Code, is |
 
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amended by adding Section 22.0035 to read as follows: |
 
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             Sec.  22.0035.    PAID PARENTAL LEAVE POLICY. (a) Each school |
 
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district or open-enrollment charter school shall adopt a paid |
 
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parental leave policy under which a full-time employee of the |
 
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district or school is entitled to paid parental leave following |
 
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the: |
 
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                         (1)    birth of a child; |
 
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                         (2)    birth of a child by the employee's spouse; |
 
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                         (3)    birth of a child by a gestational surrogate; or |
 
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                         (4)    adoption of a child. |
 
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             (b)    A paid parental leave policy described by Subsection |
 
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(a): |
 
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                         (1)    must provide: |
 
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                                     (A)    eight consecutive weeks of paid parental |
 
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leave for an employee who is the primary caregiver of the child; or |
 
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                                     (B)    four consecutive weeks of paid parental leave |
 
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for an employee who is the spouse of the primary caregiver of the |
 
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child; |
 
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                         (2)    must require that: |
 
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                                     (A)    an employee be employed on a full-time basis |
 
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by the school district or open-enrollment charter school for at |
 
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least 12 months before becoming eligible for paid parental leave; |
 
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                                     (B)    an employee's eligibility for paid parental |
 
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leave expires on the six-month anniversary of the date of the |
 
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child's birth or placement with the employee; and |
 
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                                     (C)    an employee who has been granted paid |
 
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parental leave under the policy take the leave concurrently with |
 
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leave for which the employee is eligible under the federal Family |
 
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and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (29 U.S.C. Section 2601 et seq.); and |
 
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                         (3)    may not require an employee to first use all |
 
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available and applicable paid vacation and sick leave before taking |
 
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paid parental leave under the policy. |
 
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             (c)    Not later than November 1 of each even-numbered year, |
 
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the agency shall prepare and submit to the legislature a report on |
 
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paid parental leave provided under a policy required by this |
 
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section. The report must include: |
 
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                         (1)    the number of employees who took paid parental |
 
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leave under a policy required by this section during the preceding |
 
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two years, disaggregated by school district and open-enrollment |
 
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charter school; |
 
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                         (2)    the costs of providing paid parental leave under a |
 
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policy required by this section during the preceding two years; |
 
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                         (3)    projections regarding future participation in and |
 
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costs of paid parental leave provided under a policy required by |
 
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this section; and |
 
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                         (4)    any recommendations for legislative or other |
 
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action. |
 
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             SECTION  2.    Subchapter D, Chapter 48, Education Code, is |
 
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amended by adding Section 48.158 to read as follows: |
 
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             Sec.  48.158.    HEALTHY FAMILIES ALLOTMENT. For each employee |
 
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who received paid parental leave under a policy required by Section |
 
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22.0035 during the preceding school year, a school district is |
 
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entitled to an annual allotment equal to the amount of the |
 
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employee's compensation for the period for which the employee |
 
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received paid parental leave under that policy. |
 
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             SECTION  3.    As soon as practicable after the effective date |
 
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of this Act and not later than September 1, 2024, the board of | Statutes affected:
Introduced: ()