Good news, Senate Bill 0276, which would provide 12 weeks of paid leave for state employees for the birth or adoption of a child, passed the Senate on Thursday, 3-23-23. Now we await the House to pass their version of the bill.
TSEA has issued a Legislative Alert urging state employees to contact the members of the House Finance committee to show support for the companion bill, HB0324. The House Finance Committee is scheduled to vote on this bill on Tuesday, March 28, at 3 p.m. Central. Click Here to view our Legislative Alert on Paid Leave.
The paid leave bill passed by the Senate on Thursday includes 12 weeks of paid leave for state employees for the birth or adoption of a child and other notable changes, including how state employee leave is calculated. (For example, this bill includes a provision starting January 1, 2024, where new employees will now receive their annual leave upfront, and existing employees will receive their annual leave on their service anniversary date.) More details were included in our Legislative Update from Week Ending 3-10-23 under “Governor’s State Employee Package” – Click Here to view that update.
IMPORTANT: The House still needs to vote on its version of the bill. Once the House considers and passes the legislation, they will compare it with the Senate version. If the versions differ in any way, one chamber can adopt the other’s version, or a conference committee made up of members from the Senate and House will work together to resolve any differences.
During the Paid Leave bill presentation on the Senate floor, Senators Yager and Yarbro praised state employees and highlighted the importance of Paid Leave. Those comments are included in the clip below:
Legislation
CLICK HERE for the latest status for key legislation we are monitoring or working to advance.
As a reminder, Livestreams and videos of legislative meetings and activities are accessible on the legislative calendar page at this link: https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/schedule/
Lobby Day Update
As you know, the deadline to register for Lobby Day has passed. For chapters registered to attend on April 11, please continue to schedule appointments with your legislators. You can find the tentative lobby day schedule by clicking here. If you need to find out who your legislators are, click here to look them up.
CONFIRMED: Lt. Gov Randy McNally and House Speaker Cameron Sexton have confirmed their attendance at our Lobby Day event in the House Chamber at 9:30 a.m. With this information, chapter members may want to schedule a few meetings with their legislators between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m.
If you’re not able to attend Lobby Day, we encourage you to look up your legislators and email them during the week of Lobby Day (April 11). Here is a recommended message to send:
Dear <Senator/Representative>,
Although I couldn’t attend TSEA’s State Employee Day on the hill, I want to thank you for your support of active and retired state and higher education employees. Your overwhelming response to our needs has been truly appreciated, and it won’t be forgotten anytime soon. We’re looking forward to having you as a guest at one of our TSEA chapter meetings in the near future!
West TN Bus to Lobby Day
A bus from West TN has been reserved for a one-day trip to Nashville on Tuesday, April 11, for active and retired TSEA members to attend TSEA’s 2023 Lobby Day. For complete details on the bus from Shelby County, including how to reserve a seat on the bus, CLICK HERE.
That concludes our update for this week. Stay tuned to our legislative updates for the latest news about the work TSEA is doing for you on the hill. Thank you for being a TSEA member!
