Kansas 2025-2026 Regular Session

Kansas Senate Bill SB153

Introduced
2/3/25  

Caption

Establishing the Kansas paid prenatal personal leave act requiring employers to provide 20 hours of paid prenatal personal leave.

Impact

The enactment of SB153 will significantly alter the landscape of employee benefits in Kansas. By requiring employers to provide paid prenatal leave, the bill enhances the support available to pregnant employees, therefore addressing an essential aspect of workplace equity and health. Additionally, it may encourage a more inclusive work environment for expecting parents, as the leave can be utilized for various prenatal healthcare services. The push for this legislation reflects a growing recognition of the importance of prenatal care in promoting healthier outcomes for both parents and children.

Summary

Senate Bill 153, titled the Kansas Paid Prenatal Personal Leave Act, mandates that starting January 1, 2026, all employers within Kansas provide their employees with a minimum of 20 hours of paid prenatal personal leave. This leave is specifically designed for employees to attend necessary healthcare services related to pregnancy, including medical appointments and consultations. The bill outlines that this leave must be compensated at the employee's regular pay rate or the applicable minimum wage, ensuring that financial barriers do not prevent access to necessary prenatal care.

Contention

While the bill is generally viewed as a positive move towards supporting maternal health and employee rights, there may be some resistance from employer groups who are concerned about the financial implications of implementing paid leave policies. Some critics might argue that the requirement could place a financial burden on small businesses. However, the bill does allow for employers to offer more generous paid leave policies, which could help mitigate potential backlash by encouraging voluntary enhancement of benefits beyond the statutory minimum.

Companion Bills

No companion bills found.

Previously Filed As

KS HB2544

Establishing an income, privilege and premium tax credit for employers that employ members of the Kansas army and air national guard and establishing an income tax credit for employees that are members thereof.

KS HB2064

Establishing the Kansas employee emergency savings account (KEESA) program to allow eligible employers to establish employee savings accounts, providing an income and privilege tax credit for certain eligible employer deposits to such employee savings accounts and providing a subtraction modification for certain employee deposits to such savings accounts.

KS HB2097

Enacting the Kansas film and digital media industry production development act, providing a tax credit, sales tax exemption and loans and grants to incentivize film, video and digital media production in Kansas, establishing a program to be administered by the secretary of commerce for the purpose of developing such production in Kansas, requiring the secretary of commerce to issue reports on the economic impact, providing sales tax exemptions for purchases by a certain community theaters and purchases and sales made by the friends of cedar crest association and establishing an income, privilege and premium tax credit for employers that employ members of the Kansas army and air national guard and establishing an income tax credit for employees that are members thereof.

KS HB2570

Substitute for HB 2570 by Committee on Commerce, Labor and Economic Development - Defining benefit year, temporary unemployment, wages and other terms in the employment security law, requiring electronic filing for certain employers, establishing qualifications for employment security board of review candidates, extending the deadline for new accounts following business acquisitions, making certain changes to the employer rate schedules and lowering rates for new employers, enabling employers to report claimant work search issues, confirming legislative coordinating council oversight for the new unemployment insurance information technology system implementation, authorizing the secretary to grant additional temporary unemployment in certain circumstances, requiring the secretary to publish certain information, abolishing the employment security interest assessment fund and providing relief for negative account balance employers.

KS SB438

Establishing the Kansas blueprint for literacy and a literacy advisory committee, directing the board of regents to appoint a director of literacy education, requiring the board of regents and board of education to collaborate on a literacy micro-credential, providing university presidents and deans of education oversight over postsecondary literacy courses, requiring a plan to establish centers of excellence in reading, requiring the board of education to submit annual reports to the legislature on literacy goals; establishing the Kansas education opportunity scholarship to replace the Kansas ethnic minority scholarship, removing limits on Kansas nursing service scholarship awards and modifying the interest rate terms and repayment obligations for such awards, eliminating the requirement to subtract other aid from the state payment for the AO-K program, modifying financial limitations on Kansas hero's scholarship awards and broadening eligibility requirements for such awards.

KS HB2748

Establishing the personal hygiene fund and program within the Kansas department of children and families and providing an individual income tax credit for taxpayer contributions to the personal hygiene fund.

KS SB558

Creating the Kansas medical cannabis act to authorize the cultivation, processing, distribution, sale and use of medical cannabis and medical cannabis products and the Kansas cannabidiol regulation act to regulate the testing and retail sale of cannabidiol products.

KS SB91

Enacting the Kansas film and digital media industry production development act, providing a tax credit, sales tax exemption and loans and grants to incentivize film, video and digital media production in Kansas, establishing a program to be administered by the secretary of commerce for the purpose of developing such production in Kansas and requiring the secretary of commerce to issue reports on the economic impact of the act.

KS HB2342

Establishing the pet animal board of veterinarians within the Kansas department of agriculture, transferring all Kansas pet animal act powers, duties and functions to such board, limiting procedures relating to the seizure of animals, eliminating no-contact inspection provisions, requiring a license for animal rescues, authorizing a single license fee for all license categories and changing the membership of the Kansas pet animal advisory board.

KS SB548

Requiring a concealed carry license to lawfully carry a concealed handgun and exempting colleges and universities from the public buildings requirements under the personal and family protection act.

Similar Bills

No similar bills found.