House Republicans unveil legislation aimed at support for working families
Continuing this year’s theme of trying to make life more affordable for Georgians, House Republican leadership announced a package of bills aimed at addressing working families.
The bills, all sponsored by Republican women, are likely to move forward in the GOP-controlled Legislature.
“Every family deserves a chance to thrive, but for many working parents across our state, the cost of child care is forcing them to make difficult decisions between remaining in the workforce and staying home,” House Speaker Jon Burns said Wednesday.
Some of the measures would increase paid parental leave for state employees up to nine weeks, allow women to get birth control from pharmacists and create a registry of repeat domestic violence offenders.
The legislation is also aimed at helping working parents through some social services.
Paid leave
In 2024, state lawmakers doubled the amount of time new parents who are state employees can take for paid parental leave from three to six weeks. Two years later, Republican state Rep. Sandy Donatucci of Buford is proposing expanding the amount by three more weeks.
Under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, workers may take up to 12 weeks off, but that time is unpaid. House Bill 1118 would cover more paid time off for state workers.
It also inches closer toward other states, including Massachusetts, New York and Washington, that permit workers to take up to 12 weeks of paid leave.
Birth control access
House Bill 1351, sponsored by Republican state Rep. Beth Camp of Concord, would give pharmacists the authority to prescribe birth control. Currently, those seeking birth control can only get a prescription after a doctor’s visit. That can be difficult for working mothers who might need to take off work and make a copayment just to get access to the medication.
If passed, patients on the state health plan or Medicaid would be required to receive 90-day supplies of contraceptives the first time they fill the prescription. Subsequent fills require a 12-month supply. Camp said the change takes into consideration that transportation can be difficult for lower-income women, and it would no longer require monthly visits to the pharmacy.
Domestic violence registry
Another proposal would make Georgia the second state in the nation to create a domestic violence registry for repeat offenders. Tennessee enacted the first list last month. The registry would be managed by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and include an offender’s name, date of birth, current photo and the date and county where the convictions occurred.
House Bill 1142, sponsored by Lyons Republican state Rep. Leesa Hagan, would also allow the GBI to remove offenders from the list after up to 10 years from the last conviction, which is determined by the number of previous convictions.
Only those who are convicted after Jan. 1, 2027, would be required to register.
Budget requests
Other efforts would come through appropriations.
The House wants to include nearly $7 million to support nurse visits to expectant and new mothers in all counties in Georgia outside the metro area, which already have substantial support. Through the home visiting program, a service of the Department of Public Health, nurses visit mothers with high-risk pregnancies through the first year of the child’s life at no cost to the mothers.
House lawmakers also want to use lottery money to expand an existing five-week summer program to give kids a jump-start before they start pre-K. Supporters say the additional programs prepare students who have disabilities or are otherwise at-risk and help working families in the summer. And they want to use lottery money and federal funds to fully cover before, after and holiday care for low-income pre-K students.
About the Authors
Michelle Baruchman covers the Georgia House of Representatives and statewide issues. She is a politics news and enterprise reporter covering statewide political stories.
Maya T. Prabhu covers the Georgia Senate and statewide issues as a government reporter for The AJC. Born in Queens, New York, and raised in northern Virginia, Maya attended Spelman College and then the University of Maryland for a master's degree. She writes about social issues, the criminal justice system and legislative politics.
