The Idaho Attorney General's Office will reduce paid parental leave for its employees from eight weeks to two weeks, eliminating extended benefits that have been available to state workers since 2020.
The policy change affects employees within the Attorney General's Office and represents a significant reduction from the current eight-week paid parental leave benefit established under Governor Brad Little's Families First Act. The office previously followed the statewide executive branch policy that provides up to 320 hours of paid leave for eligible employees following the birth, adoption, or foster placement of a child.
Attorney General Raúl Labrador's office confirmed the reduction, which takes effect immediately for new parental leave requests. The change means employees will have 75 percent less paid time off to care for newborns or newly adopted children, according to the Idaho Capital Sun.
Access to Job-Protected Leave
Employees can still access unpaid leave through the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, which provides up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave, but must use accrued vacation or sick time for any additional paid time off beyond the two-week period.
The reduction comes as the Idaho state government faces budget constraints and follows other cost-cutting measures across state agencies. The Attorney General's Office has cited fiscal responsibility and budget alignment as reasons for the change.
Employees in the office expressed concerns about the impact on family finances and infant care, particularly given medical recommendations that mothers need at least six to eight weeks to recover from childbirth.
The statewide eight-week parental leave policy remains in effect for other executive branch agencies, creating a disparity within state government, Idaho News reported. The Department of Administration's human resources division oversees the executive branch policy, which Governor Little expanded in October 2024 to include foster care and kinship placements.
That policy provides 100 percent salary replacement during the leave period and allows employees to care for and bond with their children without financial hardship.
Parental Leave Policy
Idaho's parental leave policy has been a key benefit for recruiting and retaining state employees, who often earn less than their private-sector counterparts. State workers earn between 3.6 and 4.6 hours of sick leave per pay period, meaning an employee would need to save sick time for nearly a year to accumulate two weeks of paid leave.
The reduction in the Attorney General's Office may signal broader challenges to maintaining competitive benefits across state government.
The change places Idaho's chief legal office among the minority of state agencies nationwide offering limited parental leave. While federal law does not require paid parental leave, 13 states and Washington, D.C., have enacted paid family leave programs.
Idaho has relied on its executive branch policy to provide this benefit to state workers, making the Attorney General's Office reduction notable as an exception to the statewide standard, as per NCSL.
