Tennessee Expanding Paid Family Leave

Tennessee is expanding paid family leave. Sitting Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announced a plan on Tuesday, January 7th to offer up to 12 weeks of paid annual family leave for state workers. This would be applicable for state workers who are experiencing varying events like parental leave, for birth, adoption, foster care, and caregiving. Nashville Fox 11 quoted Gov. Lee saying,

Strong families make for strong communities, and I am proud that Tennessee will lead the nation in supporting employees. This is an impactful investment in the state workforce and will allow us to continue to attract and retain the best workforce possible.

Projected Rationale

Gov. Lee’s administration predicts that said benefits will increase retention, decreasing the costs of training new staff. While saving the state on health care costs, without added state money. The administration stresses that this is a state government initiative and does not extend to the private sector.

From Capitol Hill

This new initiative follows the bill passed by Congress last month infusing 2.1 million into government employee 12 weeks paid parental leave. The bill is part of a defense bill signed by President Trump into law. As a result of diversifying the qualification for parental leave benefits, thousands of government employees nationwide are able to spend more time with family.

How This Impacts Foster Youth

Tennessee is now in a league of 10 other states which offer paid family leave. These types of benefits are essential for those helping children in foster care bond with their foster families. Therefore, it helps the transition easier by allowing more trust to be built in a shorter time.

In Conclusion

In conclusion, we welcome all laws that benefit kids in foster care. By expanding paid family leave hundreds of families will thrive. We hope that more states and private employers begin to adopt this practice. To echo Gov. Lee, strong families do create strong communities.

For more access to more foster care resources connect with us here.