Kansas governor expands paid parental leave for state employees

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly recently issued an Executive Order (EO) expanding parental leave for state employees. Primary caregivers will now receive an extra two weeks of leave, and secondary caregivers will get one extra week. Most important, the parental leave is paid at 100 percent of the employee’s regular salary.

How new leave plan works

Kansas employees first received paid leave under former Governor Jeff Colyer in November 2018. Until now, primary caregivers received six weeks of leave, and secondary caregivers got three weeks.

Going forward, primary caregivers will collect eight weeks of leave, and secondary caregivers will earn four weeks. Governor Kelly’s new EO also provides the same leave to new foster parents, who previously wouldn’t have qualified. Here are some other key points:

• Paid parental leave applies to Kansas employees who have been employed for at least 180 days, regardless of classification, part-time/full-time status, or whether the time off is for the birth, adoption, or foster placement of a child.
• Employees may start the leave up to 30 days before the projected due date so they can prepare for the new child.
• They must use all leave within the first 12 weeks of the birth, adoption, or foster placement.

The new EO went into effect immediately, although new state employees must still wait 180 days after the start of employment to become eligible for parental leave.