HB1017

House Bill 1017 amends Arkansas law concerning paid maternity leave for employees of public school districts and open-enrollment public charter schools. The bill expands eligibility criteria to include full-time employees who have worked for their respective district or school for at least one year and have not been disciplined for leave abuse. A primary feature of the bill is the shift in financial responsibility for this leave. While the previous law utilized a cost-sharing agreement between the state and the local district, this bill mandates that the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education assume one hundred percent of the incurred costs for approved paid maternity leave. The bill also authorizes the Division to promulgate rules to manage the reimbursement process and the administration of these payments. It applies to leave taken for the birth of a biological child, the adoption of a child under one year of age, or the foster placement of an infant under one year of age.