HARRIS COUNTY, TX – Commissioner Adrian Garcia is continuing his commitment to making county employees a priority and has introduced a measure that would strengthen the current policy on family leave.
The Commissioner requested a study to determine what it will take to provide county employees with paid maternity leave for a period of two weeks over and above current policies.
“This is the fair thing to do for our working families. Many of our employees are the sole providers in their family,” said Commissioner Adrian Garcia. “It’s not right to ask them to choose between abandoning a new child or lose their wages.”
On Tuesday, the court approved the request for County’s Human Resources Department to conduct a formal compensation study and budgetary impact. The vast majority of working people in the United States do not have paid family leave through their jobs. In Texas, even unpaid leave under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act is inaccessible for 62 percent of working people. This is an opportunity for Harris County to lead other agencies in Texas, should it decide to provide family leave beyond what is available to an employee through earned paid sick and vacation leave days.
“Expanding paid family leave ensures our families get the time they need to take care of their loved ones,” said Commissioner Adrian Garcia.
If approved, this would be the first time Harris County has implemented this type of paid family leave.