SB 2438 Summary

• Establishes six weeks (240 hours) of paid parental leave at 100% salary for eligible state employees who are primary caregivers following birth or adoption of a child, effective January 1, 2026.

• Restricts eligibility to state employees (excluding K-12, higher education, and community college employees) with 12+ months continuous full-time employment; only one parent may claim leave if both are state employees.

• Requires leave to be used within 12 weeks of birth or adoption, taken once per 12-month period, and mandates 30-day advance notice where foreseeable; leave runs concurrently with federal FMLA leave where applicable.

• Specifies paid parental leave does not accrue, carry over, count toward retirement, or apply to other leave balances; allows employees to use up to six additional weeks of earned major medical leave after paid leave is exhausted.

• Requires public school districts and community/junior college districts to adopt policies providing substantially similar paid parental leave benefits to their employees.