House committee advances funding for actuarial study of paid family and medical leave

A Georgia House committee voted to advance House Bill 1318 on a do-pass motion, authorizing a $90,000 actuarial and economic study to evaluate the potential design and costs of a statewide paid family and medical leave program.

Jasmine Bowles, executive state director of 9 to 5 Georgia, told the committee the bill is "a smart incremental step" that would provide Georgia-specific data "about cost, structure and employer impacts" to inform any future policy decision. The study would be commissioned by the Georgia Department of Labor, would model options including privately administered approaches similar to unemployment insurance, and would not by itself require the state to adopt a program.

Supporters said the study would help legislators weigh trade-offs with local data. "Paid leave is really about protecting our workforce continuity, especially during those challenging temporary life events," Bowles said. Jessica Woolgen of GEERS (Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students) said paid leave has been shown to reduce infant mortality and improve maternal and infant health, and asked for favorable consideration. Sonia Kaushal, speaking for the American Heart Association, and Miriam Goodfriend of AARP Georgia also urged the committee to advance the bill; Goodfriend told members that "more than 2,500,000 Georgians, 3 in 10 adults, are currently providing unpaid care" to a family member.

Small Business Majority's Georgia director, Rachel Shanklin, told the committee that paid family and medical leave can be good for small businesses by improving recruitment, retention and morale and by reducing turnover costs. The bill's sponsor noted that many large employers already offer leave and that a state-level study could identify structures to help smaller employers compete.

Representative McLean moved that the committee give HB 1318 a do-pass recommendation; another committee member seconded. The committee carried the motion on a voice vote and the chair declared the motion carried. The committee did not record an individual roll-call tally in the hearing transcript.

The bill, as presented, would appropriate $90,000 for the independent study; if later policymakers chose to pursue a paid leave program, further decisions would be required on contribution levels, benefit length and administration. The committee advanced the measure; the transcript ends with the chair signing paperwork and closing the meeting.