LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The city of Louisville is one step closer to having paid parental leave for its employees.
A Metro Council committee on Tuesday voted unanimously in favor of an ordinance that would give city employees, both mothers and fathers, 12 weeks of paid leave after a birth or adoption.
Supporters say paid parental leave could reduce infant mortality rates. They also say the policy could help keep employees and prevent them from moving to cities that already have a similar rule in place.
If passed, the plan could cost the city close to $4.5 million a year. But some council members say 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. She and others argue the estimate doesn't account for cost-savings from the decreased turnover and increased productivity the benefit would bring.
The ordinance now heads to the full council.
Related Stories:
- 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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