Commissioner Bob Harvie recently confirmed that Bucks County officials are considering the option of providing paid parental leave for employees, writes Jess Rohan for the Bucks County Courier Times.
“It is something we are exploring here at the county,” said Harvie, adding that officials have been discussing the subject for several months, figuring out how it could work.
At this time, no specifics regarding the potential paid leave have been released.
Paid parental leave “has come up during bargaining time and time again,” said Steve Catanese, head of a union representing county workers. “It would be much-needed progress if they adopted it.”
If Bucks County moves forward with the paid leave, it would join Montgomery County and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, both of which have already put similar programs in place.
Several lawmakers from Bucks County have previously cosponsored legislation in the state House of Representatives to fund paid family leave for private sector employees.
In 2023, slightly more than a quarter of American civilian workers received paid parental leave, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Read more about Bucks County officials’ conversations about the possibility of paid parental leave in the Bucks County Courier Times.
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