Updated 1/8/20

Governor Bill Lee says the state soon will offer its employees three months of paid leave for new parents and caregivers of sick relatives in what could make Tennessee the first state in the nation to enact such a wide-ranging policy.

His executive order will cover executive branch employees starting March 1st, though Republicans in the General Assembly will also file legislation this session to extend the policy to other state workers. Legislative leadership was unsure whether employees at Tennessee’s public universities would be among those included in the plan.

Currently, Tennessee allows state employees to take up to 16 weeks unpaid leave and does not offer paid maternity leave, though they are allowed to use sick time.

Lee described the initiative as “one of the most cost effective investments in the families of our state employees in recent history,” and said will help attract and retain top talent in state government.