LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer has signed a Metro Council ordinance that gives paid parental leave to city employees.
The ordinance — which passed Council unanimously last month — will give mothers and fathers 12 weeks of paid leave after the birth or adoption of a child.
Supporters of the ordinance say paid parental leave could reduce infant mortality rates and prevent losing employees to cities that already have similar policies in place.
Fischer said he believes the passing of the ordinance will push other businesses and organizations to consider the need for paid parental leave.
"I just think that we're in an air of increasing awareness of the importance of investing in youth and investing in families," he said. "There's no better way to do that than at the very beginning of their lives and having families come together."
The ordinance also gives two weeks of leave for families receiving a child through foster or kinship care.
The plan could cost the city more than $4 million, but some council members have said that estimate doesn't tell the whole story.
"I think that we're overestimating the cost and underestimating the benefits," Councilwoman Cassie Chambers Armstrong, D-8, told WDRB News in February.
Chambers Armstrong and others argue that estimated price tag doesn't account for cost-savings from the decreased turnover and increased productivity the benefit would bring.
Related Stories:
- Metro Council unanimously passes ordinance giving city employees paid parental leave
- Metro Council committee votes in favor of paid parental leave for city employees
- Louisville council members, some with newborns, pursue parental leave for city workers
- Before any vote, Louisville council to study cost of giving city workers paid parental leave
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