Ingham County is considering a new policy to grant paid time off to employees who become parents.
Right now, county employees who want to take time off when they have a child have to use earned vacation, sick or banked time. The Ingham County Board of Commissioners is exploring an approach that would guarantee employees time away from work when they become a parent.
Commissioner Gabrielle Lawrence said the policy is helpful for parents as they adjust to raising a child.
“I would love to see more people have access to a good parental leave policy that allows them to spend those really important first few months at home with their baby, and bond with that child, and learn how to be a family," she said.
State of Michigan employees get 12 weeks of paid parental leave. Lawrence said neighboring Eaton and Clinton Counties also lack paid parental leave.
“So I'm really hoping that if our county, when our county, is able to get this done, that more municipalities, that more counties will follow suit,” she said.
The county's Law and Courts Committee passed a resolution last month supporting implementation of the benefit. The Policy Committee is developing a plan before putting the policy up for a vote before the full Board of Commissioners.
"County employees are not getting rich on their county salaries, and they don't do the job in order to get rich," Lawrence said. "They do the job because they love it, and the least we can do is give them excellent benefits."