Alabama Introduces Paid Parental Leave For State Employees

Alabama is famous for its beautiful weather and the willingness of its people to help their neighbors and extended family, but it is not known for its employee-friendly laws.  For example, many states have minimum wage laws, but Alabama does not; it only requires employers to pay employees the federal minimum wage, which is $7.25 per hour and has remained unchanged for many years, even as prices have increased dramatically.  Alabama is not the first place you would expect to see state laws requiring paid leave for the parents of newborn and newly adopted children, but Governor Kay Ivey has recently signed a law that would give some public sector employees several weeks of paid time off from work to care for their children in the weeks following the children’s birth or adoption.  If you have recently adopted a child and want to find out more about how Alabama family laws apply to adoptive families, contact a Birmingham child custody lawyer.

Employees of State Government Entities and Public Schools Can Get Up to Eight Weeks of Paid Leave After the Birth or Adoption of a Baby

This year, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed into law a piece of legislation that would grant paid family leave to state employees and employees of public schools.  It applies when an employee gives birth or when a young child joins the employee’s family.  Mothers are eligible for two weeks of parental leave when they have a live birth, miscarriage, or stillbirth or when they finalize the adoption of a child under the age of three.  Fathers are eligible for two weeks of paid leave when their wives give birth or when they adopt a young child.  The law applies to births and adoptions that take place on and after July 1, 2025.

What Happens If Adoptive Parents Get Divorced?

When you adopt a child, you are the child’s legal parent.  If adoptive parents get divorced when their children are minors, they have the right to a court-ordered parenting plan, just like parents related to their children genetically do.  You and your spouse can agree on the terms of parenting time during mediation, and if you cannot reach an agreement, the court will decide at trial.  The parenting plan includes provisions about which overnights per year the children have, responsibilities for transporting children from one parent’s house to the other, and which parent has the final decision about the children’s education, extracurricular activities.  The parenting plan does not address financial matters, but it is a prerequisite for a child support order.  Child support obligations are based on a statewide formula, which includes, among other factors, the number of overnights per year each parent has in the parenting plan.

Contact Peeples Law About Drafting a Parenting Plan

A Birmingham family law attorney can help you work out the details of your parenting plan if you and your spouse adopted children together and are now getting divorced.  Contact Peeples Law in Birmingham, Alabama today to schedule a consultation.

Source:

theadoptionfirm.com/2025/04/04/new-alabama-law-brings-new-adoptive-parent-benefit-paid-parental-leave/