Gov. Mike Braun addresses reporters at a press conference expanding paid leave for state employees. (Whitney Downard/Indiana Capital Chronicle)
New moms employed by the state of Indiana will now get an additional six weeks of paid leave for “childbirth recovery,” or eight weeks for employees who gave birth via a cesarean section.
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun signed an executive order Monday making the change, signaling his openness to future actions in the private sector.
“Previously, many new mothers had to cobble together time off to recover from the physical toll of childbirth by combining maternity leave with six sick days, (paid time off) and reduced salary while on medical leave,” Braun said. “We’re changing that.”
The policy applies to full-time and part-time employees, plus staff who lose a child in utero at 20 weeks or more.
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“Losing a baby unexpectedly is such a difficult thing to endure. I want to make sure that the state of Indiana gives them time off to recover,” Braun said.
Braun pegged the executive order-signing to International Women’s Day on Saturday.
The move also expands the state’s current paid parental leave of four weeks for new parents who have been employed for six months. Braun struck the six-month requirement, though newer employees would get less time off and “must” agree to work for one full year following their return to work.
The leave policy applies to an employee that gave birth, an employee whose spouse gave birth and parents who’ve adopted a child.
And requests for both childbirth recovery and new parent leave “shall” be granted, according to the order.
Braun pointed to the importance of parent-child bonding and his desire to make Indiana an inviting place for people to raise a family.
“We’re doing this in this fashion now. What it evolves into down the road, I’m going to be open to,” Braun said. “(This), more than anything, dovetails into what I’ve talked about in terms of our state being a place people — and our kids and grandkids — want to come back to. A place where you want a business.”
He clarified that he doesn’t want to create “mandates” on how companies manage their resources, adding his perspective on paid leave as a business owner.
“I think for companies that are well-established, it’s something to aspire to,” Braun said.
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