SC’s McMaster OKs paid family leave for state employees. Here are the details

South Carolina state workers will be eligible starting this fall for paid time off dedicated for the birth or adoption of their child.

Gov. Henry McMaster on Friday signed legislation giving state employees six weeks of paid leave after giving birth. A co-parent gets up to two weeks of paid time off.

State employees who adopt a child or have a foster child placed in their custody are eligible for two paid weeks off from work.

Providing the paid leave time off will allow parents to have time to bond with their new child without needing to use vacation time, sick leave or go unpaid.

The benefit doesn’t apply to public school teachers as they are employees of school districts, not the state.

The initial proposal, which first passed the House last year, called for 12 weeks of paid time off. The benefit was reduced in March in order to get the legislation through the Senate without objections.

Richland County Democrats state Sen. Darrell Jackson and Rep. Beth Bernstein proposed the benefit for state employees as they represent areas with hundreds if not thousands of state workers.

“(It’s) a win-win for the state employees of the state of South Carolina, it’s a win-win for the Democrats who really fought hard for this bill, and it’s a win-win for families across this state,” Bernstein said in April.

The law takes effect Oct. 1.