AR HB2029

Amends Arkansas Code Title 21, Chapter 4, Subchapter 2 to add a new section establishing caregiver leave for state employees.

State employees are entitled to up to 16 hours of caregiver leave per calendar year to provide care for family members due to illness, injury, or medical appointments.

Caregiver leave applies to care for children, stepchildren, grandchildren, spouses, domestic partners, siblings, parents, stepparents, in-laws, and grandparents.

Caregiver leave hours are derived from the catastrophic leave bank and do not require employees to exhaust sick leave or annual leave first.

Unused caregiver leave does not carry over to the next calendar year and is not compensable upon retirement; employers may request medical documentation from a physician or public health official to support leave requests.