South Carolina S 11: Paid Family Leave Eligible State Employee

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 11 Text of Previous Version (Jun. 25, 2026) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 11

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

Indicates Matter Stricken

Indicates New Matter

Conference Report Adopted - Not Printed

June 25, 2026

S. 11

Introduced 
by Senators Jackson and Davis 

S. Printed 6/25/26--S.

Read the first time January 14, 2025

________

statement of estimated fiscal impact

Explanation of Fiscal Impact

<<section info>>

Frank A. Rainwater, Executive Director

Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office

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A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING 
SECTIONS 8-11-150 AND 8-11-155, RELATING TO PAID PARENTAL LEAVE, SO AS TO AMEND 
THE DEFINITION OF "ELIGIBLE STATE EMPLOYEE" AND TO INCREASE CERTAIN PAID 
PARENTAL LEAVE.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of 
South Carolina:

SECTION 1. Section 8-11-150 of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 Section 
8-11-150. (A) For the purposes of 
this section:

 (1) 
"Child" means a newborn biological child or foster of a child in state custody 
and under the age of eighteen. No child can have more than two parents eligible 
for paid parental leave.

 (2) 
"Eligible state employee" means an employee occupying any 
percentage of a full-time equivalent position any person 
employed by any department, institution, commission, board, or any other unit 
of government of this State who occupies a position eligible to earn annual 
leave. This includes any person employed by a four-year or postgraduate 
institution of higher education under the control of the State or a technical 
college supported by and under the control of the State who occupies a full-time 
equivalent, temporary grant, or time-limited position.

 (3) 
"Paid parental leave" means six weeks of paid leave at one hundred percent of 
the eligible state employee's base pay or twofour weeks of paid leave at one hundred percent of the 
eligible state employee's base pay. Leave for part-time eligible state 
employees must be on a prorated basis corresponding to the percentage of hours 
they are normally scheduled to work.

 (4) 
"Qualifying event" means the birth of a newborn biological child to an eligible 
state employee or after a co-parent's birth of a newborn child or fostering a 
child in state custody.

 (5) "Stillbirth" has the same meaning as 
defined in Section 44-63-55.

 (B) 
Eligible state employees who are employed by this State, its departments, 
agencies, or institutions and who give birth or stillbirth 
are entitled to receive six weeks of paid parental leave. Other eligible state 
employees who do not give birth are entitled to receive twofour weeks of paid parental leave. 
An employee's paid parental leave is based on an employee's average workday.

 (C) 
Paid parental leave usage includes the following:

 (1) 
The entitlement to leave pursuant to subsection (B) expires at the end of the 
twelve-month period beginning on the date of such birth or initial legal 
placement. An eligible state employee shall receive no more than one occurrence 
of six or twofour weeks 
of paid parental leave for any twelve-month period, even if more than one 
qualifying event occurs. However, nothing in this item prohibits a foster 
parent from requesting and receiving approval for parental leave in 
nonconsecutive one-week time periods.

 (2) 
If the leave is not used by the eligible state employee before the end of the 
twelve-month period after the qualifying event, such leave does not accumulate 
for subsequent use. Paid parental leave may not be donated. Any leave 
remaining at the end of the twelve-month period or at separation of employment 
is forfeited.

 (3) 
Days of paid parental leave taken under this section must be taken 
consecutively, except that foster parents may request and receive approval for 
parental leave in nonconsecutive one-week time periods.

 (4) 
If both parents are eligible state employees, paid parental leave may be taken 
concurrently, consecutively, or a different time as the other eligible state 
employee.

 (5) 
Legal holidays listed in Section 53-5-10 must not be counted against paid 
parental leave.

 (6) 
Paid parental leave must run concurrently with leave taken pursuant to the 
Family and Medical Leave Act and any other unpaid leave to which the eligible 
state employee may be entitled as a result of the qualifying event. However, 
leave granted under this section is with pay and is not annual leave or sick 
leave and therefore does not deduct from the eligible state employee's accrued 
leave balance. An eligible state employee does not have to exhaust all other 
forms of leave before being eligible to take leave granted under this section. However, an employer may require that an employee use paid 
parental leave before using annual leave if the emplo