| ||||||||||
 
Dr. Ronald P. Rogers CHIROPRACTOR Support for your body's natural healing capabilities 270-384-5554 Click here for details 
  
Columbia Gas Dept. GAS LEAK or GAS SMELL Contact Numbers 24 hrs/ 365 days 270-384-2006 or 9-1-1 Call before you dig 
Visit ColumbiaMagazine's Directory of Churches Addresses, times, phone numbers and more for churches in Adair County Find Great Stuff in ColumbiaMagazine's Classified Ads Antiques, Help Wanted, Autos, Real Estate, Legal Notices, More... 
|
Legislators consider paid parental leave for state workers By Jim Hannah, LRC Frankfort, KY - A legislative panel took testimony today on measures that would grant state employees paid parental leave and annual cost of living raises. Bill Request 344 would allow state employees a paid leave of absence of 12 weeks for the birth or adoption of a child. Employees would have to work for the state for at least 52 weeks to be eligible for the proposed benefit. "This is not unique to Kentucky," Rep. Jason Nemes, R-Louisville, said while presenting the prefiled bill to the Interim Joint Committee on State Government. "This is Kentucky getting on board with what Republicans and Democrats are doing across the country and in Washington." Rep. John Blanton, R-Salyersville, asked whether the 12 weeks would have to be taken consecutively. Nemes said the paid time off would not have to be taken consecutive but would have to be used within the first 24 weeks. Sen. Michael J. Nemes, R-Shepherdsville, who is Rep. Nemes' father, asked why fathers would also be eligible for the paid leave under the proposal. The younger Nemes responded that science has shown maternal and paternal leave benefits infants the most. Rep. Josie Raymond, D-Louisville, who also testified in support of BR 344, added that mothers who have complications during childbirth often need someone to care for them. Fathers, she said, are often uniquely positioned to provide that care. "Paid leave gives families peace of mind to focus on the baby in this really important, but short period, of their lives," Raymond said after recalling returning to session in January, two weeks after she gave birth. "Without paid parental leave, we see mothers, in particular, going back to work before they have recovered." In response to a question from Rep. Kelly Flood, D-Lexington, Nemes said if both parents worked for state government, each would be eligible for the 12 paid weeks of leave. Bill Request 70 would provide an annual cost of living raise for state employees. The cost of living adjustment would be the average of the consumer price index for two calendar years. Rep. James Tipton, R-Taylorsville, testified that all state employees are supposed to get a 5 percent salary increment increase every year, under current state law, but that hasn't happened since July 2001. "The idea behind this legislation (BR 70) is to have a more obtainable goal as far as compensation," said Tipton, who sponsored the prefiled bill along with Rep. Derek Lewis, R-London. Lewis said a coalition of lawmakers has been working to address state employee compensation over the last several sessions. "It's a bipartisan issue," he said. "Let's get this thing passed." Rep. Joe Graviss, D-Versailles, said something is needed to keep the state competitive in the job market. "I think it is desperately needed," he said. Graviss has also filed similar legislation, known as Bill Request 180. The prefiled bills could be taken up during the 2021 Regular Session of the Kentucky General Assembly, set to convene on Jan. 5. This story was posted on 2020-10-27 16:06:06
Printable: this page is now automatically formatted for printing.
Have comments or corrections for this story? Use our contact form and let us know. More articles from topic Politics:
Senator Max Wise: 2020 Ballot Measures Deadline to request an absentee ballot is Friday Friday is last day to request an absentee ballot Adams releases numbers on new volunteers Voter registration deadline is Monday Important deadlines in the 2020 General Election Sample Ballots for the 2020 General Election Video: Dr. John Chowning interviews KY SoS Michael Adams Secretary Adams updates legislature on general election State officials warn voters of bogus mailers and texts View even more articles in topic Politics |
 
115 Jamestown St. Columbia, KY. 270-384-2496 
  
   
 Provided by the Adair Co Fiscal Court and the Adair Co. Emergency Mgt. Agency 
|
||||||||
|
| ||||||||||
|
Quick Links to Popular Features
Looking for a story or picture? Try our Photo Archive or our Stories Archive for all the information that's appeared on ColumbiaMagazine.com. | ||||||||||
|
Contact us: Columbia Magazine and columbiamagazine.com are published by Linda Waggener and Pen Waggener, PO Box 906, Columbia, KY 42728. Please use our contact page, or send questions about technical issues with this site to webmaster@columbiamagazine.com. All logos and trademarks used on this site are property of their respective owners. All comments remain the property and responsibility of their posters, all articles and photos remain the property of their creators, and all the rest is copyright 1995-Present by Columbia Magazine. Privacy policy: use of this site requires no sharing of information. Voluntarily shared information may be published and made available to the public on this site and/or stored electronically. Anonymous submissions will be subject to additional verification. Cookies are not required to use our site. However, if you have cookies enabled in your web browser, some of our advertisers may use cookies for interest-based advertising across multiple domains. For more information about third-party advertising, visit the NAI web privacy site.
| ||||||||||
