Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
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State of Arkansas 1
95th General Assembly A Bill 2
Regular Session, 2025 HOUSE BILL 1017 3
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By: Representative A. Collins 5
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For An Act To Be Entitled 8
AN ACT TO AMEND THE LAW REGARDING PAID MATERNITY 9
LEAVE FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL EMPLOYEES; TO REQUIRE THE 10
DIVISION OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION TO PAY 11
FOR ALL INCURRED COSTS FOR APPROVED PAID MATERNITY 12
LEAVE FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL EMPLOYEES; AND FOR OTHER 13
PURPOSES. 14
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Subtitle 17
TO AMEND THE LAW REGARDING PAID 18
MATERNITY LEAVE FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL 19
EMPLOYEES; AND TO REQUIRE THE DIVISION 20
OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION TO 21
PAY FOR INCURRED COSTS FOR APPROVED PAID 22
MATERNITY LEAVE. 23
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 25
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SECTION 1. Arkansas Code § 6 -17-122 is amended to read as follows: 27
6-17-122. Paid maternity leave — Definitions. 28
(a) Education personnel employed by An employee of a public school 29
district or an open-enrollment public charter school that elect to 30
participate under this section shall be eligible for up to twelve (12) weeks 31
of paid maternity leave when the employee: 32
(1) Has been employed by a public school district or an open -33
enrollment public charter school for one (1) year or more; 34
(2) Is female, and the leave is to be used for maternity 35
purposes following the: 36 HB1017
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(A) Birth of the employee's biological child; 1
(B) Placement of an adopted child under one (1) year of 2
age in the home of the employee; or 3
(C) Foster placement of an infant under one (1) year of 4
age; and 5
(3) Has not been disciplined for any leave abuse during the past 6
year from the time of application. 7
(b) As used in this section: 8
(1) “Cost-sharing” means joint, equal responsibility for the 9
cost shared between the State of Arkansas and a public school district or 10
open-enrollment public charter school that employs an individual considered 11
education personnel under this section; 12
(2)(1) “Education personnel” "Employee" means an individual 13
employed full-time by a public school district or an open-enrollment public 14
charter school in Arkansas for more than one (1) year; and 15
(3)(2) “Maternity leave” means partially or fully compensated 16
time away from work within the first twelve (12) weeks following the: 17
(A) Birth of a biological child to an individual 18
considered education personnel under this section employee; or 19
(B) Placement of an adoptive adopted child under one (1) 20
year of age in the home of an individual considered education personnel under 21
this section employee; or 22
(C) Foster placement of an infant under one (1) year of 23
age in the home of an employee . 24
(c)(1) The Division of Elementary and Secondary Education shall create 25
and sign a standard cost-sharing agreement for paid maternity leave expenses 26
between paid by the division and to a public school district or an open-27
enrollment public charter school that elects to participate under this 28
section. 29
(2) At a minimum, the cost-sharing agreement required under 30
subdivision (c)(1) of this section shall obligate the state and the public 31
school district or open -enrollment public charter school to each pay fifty 32
percent (50%) division to pay one hundred percent (100%) of incurred costs 33
for approved paid maternity leave. 34
(3) The division shall promulgate rules outlining: 35
(A) Management of a cost-sharing the agreement required 36 HB1017
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under subdivision (c)(1) of this section; 1
(B) Reimbursement processes; and 2
(C) Other related procedures required to implement this 3
section. 4
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