An Act relating to schools; amending Section 1, Chapter 291, O.S.L. 2023 (70 O.S. Supp. 2024, Section 6-104.8), which relates to paid maternity leave; allowing sick leave use to extend maternity leave for certain employees; specifying uses; requiring sufficient leave accrual; requiring notification and concurrent use with the Family and Medical Leave Act; and providing an effective date.
3 Replies to “HB 1601 (2025)”
The author faced questions on the House Floor, many of which focused on the fairness of requiring teachers to use sick leave to extend maternity leave instead of increasing the maternity leave allowance. While she supported exploring expanded maternity leave, she emphasized that HB 1601 was the quickest way to help teachers.
She also noted that the bill would standardize sick leave policies for maternity leave, which currently vary by district.
The committee was worried about how much leave an employee could take at once and how it might affect the classroom. The author agreed to work with them to set a possible limit on maternity leave and sick leave combined.
Allows school employees to extend maternity leave by using accrued sick leave.
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