Rep. Houston Gaines (R-Athens) has reintroduced a bill that nearly passed the General Assembly in 2020.
Rep. Houston Gaines (R-Athens) has reintroduced a bill that nearly passed the General Assembly in 2020.
The new legislation, House Bill 146, would provide 3-weeks paid family leave for state employees including teachers.
For many years, the Metro Atlanta Chamber (MAC) has engaged with a broad coalition of partners, both public and private, to develop a large body of Georgia-based research that supports sound policy recommendations for education and workforce. This year’s legislation, like last year’s House Bill 1094, aligns with recommendations which arose from discussions with Georgia parents, current and future, and is supported by MAC’s own research. One of our key recommendations is the provision of paid family leave which will improve Georgia’s overall education and workforce development and keep Georgia the #1 place to do business.
Our published research, available at www.macpolicy.com, shows that Georgia loses an estimated $1.75 billion in economic activity each year, which equates to over $100 million in lost state revenue due to issues related to the lack of accessible, affordable quality child care. While paid family leave is not the single answer for any employer, it is an essential tool for any Georgia employer wishing to attract and retain a talented workforce.
In recent coverage of the legislation from the AJC:
"We’ve seen the long-term benefits to our economy of adopting such policies through our research in ‘Opportunities Lost,’ which showed the state is losing billions of dollars in economic activity due to lack of access to quality, affordable child care,” said Tim Cairl, director for education policy at the chamber. “We strongly support the passage of paid family leave for Georgia families".
