TOPEKA – The Women’s Foundation today commended the Kansas Supreme Court for its decision to provide 1,600 employees of the judicial branch with up to six weeks of paid parental leave after the birth or adoption of a child. The move follows Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer’s executive order extending paid parental leave to more than 17,000 state workers.
“Paid leave is proven to have enormous benefits for both families and employers, so we commend the Kansas Supreme Court for adopting this smart, fiscally responsible policy for judicial branch employees,” said Wendy Doyle, Women’s Foundation President & CEO. “Our research has shown that paid leave is a win-win for families and employers — improving productivity, reducing turnover and lowering reliance on public assistance. We look forward to continuing to work with leaders on both sides of the aisle to ensure that all Kansans have the ability to take family and medical leave without taking a hit to their livelihoods.”
Expanding access to paid leave has been a top priority of the Women’s Foundation, which worked with policymakers in both Kansas and Missouri to provide research on the benefits of paid family and medical leave.
As a result, officials in Missouri expanded paid parental leave to employees of nearly every state agency while Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer signed an executive order providing paid parental leave to 17,000 state employees.
More information on the Women’s Foundation research into paid family and medical leave is available at: http://www.womens-foundation.org/paid-leave/