Breaking Paid Family Medical Leave Promise to State Workers ‘Would Be Pathetic,’ Says Democratic Leader

Gov. Bill Lee backtracking after announcing new benefit for 38,000 state workers

NASHVILLE — Sen. Jeff Yarbro is calling on Gov. Bill Lee to make good his promise to state workers.

“It would be pathetic to make a promise to 38,000 state employees if it’s a promise the state can’t keep,” Sen. Yarbro said. “We need the Governor to lead an make sure this gets done.”

In January, Gov. Lee signed an executive order directing state departments to offer 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave to 38,000 state employees beginning March 1. In announcing the program, Lee said, “I am proud that Tennessee will lead the nation in supporting our employees.”

Less than two weeks before the policy was set to take effect, Gov. Lee is backtracking. The governor now says he wants to legislature to approve the program first, according to The Tennessean.

But the Republican-controlled legislature’s history with paid family and medical leave bills is not great.

• In 2015, Sen. Sara Kyle and Rep. Craig Fitzhugh introduced legislation that would have allowed the department of labor to study the feasibility of a new paid family and medical leave program. The bill didn’t get enough traction to make it out of a House subcommittee.
• In 2019, Sen. Sara Kyle and Rep. Gloria Johnson introduced legislation that would have created a paid family and medical leave program for every employee on a payroll in Tennessee. Republican members of the House Employee Affairs Subcommittee killed the bill.