Allegheny County Board of Health approves paid parental leave program

The measure now moves to Allegheny County Council for a vote.

By MEGAN TROTTER
TribLive

The Allegheny County Board of Health on Monday approved an updated paid parental leave program that would require businesses with 15 or more eligible employees to provide at least 12 weeks of paid leave to new parents.

The Board of Health approved the proposal in a unanimous vote. The board has considered the measure as a public health initiative, with county health officials saying paid parental leave can support maternal recovery, infant health and family stability.

To qualify, full or part-time employees would have to work for their employer for at least six months or 625 hours. The revised proposal reduced the amount of leave from the 18 weeks originally proposed and exempts smaller businesses. It also provides special provisions for parents who experience stillbirths.

The proposed program now moves to the 15-member Allegheny County Council for consideration.

Since the program’s initial introduction in May, several members of council have shown up for rallies or news conferences to support the program including Lissa Geiger Shulman, D-Hampton; Jordan Botta, D-Bloomfield; Paul Klein, D-Pittsburgh; Kathleen Madonna-Emmerling, D-Moon Township; as well as councilman at-large Alex Rose, I-Squirrel Hill.

To be passed by council, the paid parental leave mandate would need majority approval, or eight votes, before moving on to be signed into law by the county executive.

Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato along with elected leaders from the county, state and federal levels gathered to rally behind the measure at the Western Pennsylvania Diaper Bank in North Point Breeze on Thursday.

Madonna-Emmerling, who was in attendance, said gaining the necessary votes from council was “not a done deal” as of last week.

“I would still encourage people to be contacting their county council person and expressing their thoughts on it,” Madonna-Emmerling said.

The board’s initial proposal has largely been considered an ambitious and controversial measure because it required businesses of all sizes, with no minimum employee threshold, to provide 18 weeks of paid parental leave. Workers employed for at least 30 days were qualified to receive the benefit.

Debate over the policy has been ongoing for the past four months, amassing more than 1,500 public comments. The board’s revisions to the original proposal were unveiled on Sept. 16, as county officials sought to balance public health goals with concerns about the financial burden on employers.

But even with the policy scaled back, many business owners said the mandate was unreasonable because it requires employers to shoulder the cost of paid leave. Several business owners told Trib-Live they believed a paid parental leave program should be regulated and mandated by the state rather than individual municipalities.

On Monday, Dr. Iulia Vann, director of public health for the Allegheny County Health Department, said almost 50% of businesses in Allegheny have 10 employees or less.

Board of Health members Dr. Michael Yonas and Laura Dagley asked Vann about insurance options to subsidize and support the economic impact of this proposed policy.

“An employer can meet their obligations under this regulation through a private plan. That can mean a combination of short-term disability and some type of private insurance or private insurance of some sort,” said Dr. Iulia Vann, director of public health for the Allegheny County Health Department.

“I know that there are plans out there that are ready to have these conversations with employers in Allegheny County that would provide this opportunity, which will make the cost associated with this requirement to be something that could be built into the business processes and budgets,” said Vann, who also serves as secretary of the Board of Health.

If passed by County Council and approved by Innamorato, covered employers would have one year from final passage to implement the policy.

The original proposal would have required employers to implement the policy within six months of its effective date or by their next budget cycle, whichever came first. The Board of Health amended that provision to provide all covered employers with a uniform 12-month implementation timeline.

Dr. Elizabeth Cuevas, vice chair of the board, said she was concerned about whether businesses would have enough time to prepare for the new requirement.

“I think they need time to plan this in their budget,” Cuevas said.

The board also approved a technical amendment clarifying the documentation requirements for paid parental leave.

“We’ve been waiting for decades for federal or state action, while the rest of the world and much of the country moves forward with protecting families. I’m tired of waiting, and Allegheny County families are tired of waiting. They deserve better and I eagerly encourage council to pass this bill and send it to me for my signature,” Innamorato said in a statement.