A bill allowing state employees in Mississippi to stay home with newborns or newly adopted children without suffering financial detriment is now law, going into effect Thursday.
House Bill 1063, titled the “Mississippi State Employees Paid Parental Leave Act,” glided through both chambers of the legislature and was signed into law by Republican Gov. Tate Reeves in March 2025. With the start date being set for Jan. 1, 2026, it offers paid parental leave to employees who have worked with a state agency for at least one calendar year.
Eligible employees, designated as the primary or secondary caregivers of a child, are entitled to six weeks off while being paid the entirety of their salaried earnings.
“As a pro-life state, HB 1063 confirms Mississippi’s commitment to the well-being of families by providing six weeks of paid leave to the primary caregiver of a birthed or adopted child,” Republican House Speaker Jason White said to his chamber after the bill was passed. “We have now set the standard for parental leave in Mississippi and encourage the private sector to follow.”
While the new law has been celebrated by elected officials and advocacy groups alike, some of its supporters are hoping for more in the upcoming session, which begins Jan. 6.
Five groups that pushed for the paid parental leave policy for state employees – the Mississippi Early Learning Alliance, Mississippi Black Women’s Roundtable, A Better Balance, the American Heart Association, and the Mississippi Women’s Economic Security Initiative – are urging lawmakers to establish comprehensive paid family and medical leave for all workers, particularly low-wage workers and those in part-time positions.
“With this exciting step forward, Mississippi’s leaders are showing that families and babies matter,” Mississippi Early Learning Alliance executive director Biz Harris said. “State employee paid leave gives these parents time to care for their new babies and helps children grow up healthier, while also supporting working families and a stronger state.
“As this policy takes effect, it should also remind us of the importance of expanding these protections, so all Mississippi families have the same opportunity to thrive.”
According to data from the Mississippi Black Women’s Roundtable, hundreds of thousands of workers in the private sector still don’t have access to paid family leave through their employers. The bill offering it to state employees made Mississippi the 37th state to enact such a law.
HB 1063 did not require Mississippi public schools to offer paid parental leave to their employees. However, the legislation authorized both public K-12 schools and junior college districts to adopt the policy. All state agencies are required to abide by the policy, giving more than 32,000 employees the right to paid leave for the birth or adoption of their child.