9to5 Georgia hosted an advocacy day at the Georgia State Capitol to support paid leave.
As many Georgia workers do not have access to paid medical and family leave, far too many employees lack reliable, much-needed time off. Through sickness and important life events, they are forced to choose between caring for themselves and their families or risking their jobs.
Lacking paid leave strains their own wellness and personal live,s but also limits their ability to succeed in work.
“Working women shouldn’t have to worry about losing pay just to care for themselves or their loved ones,” said Jasmine Bowles, executive state director of 9to5 Georgia. “Paid leave policies are long overdue in Georgia’s private sector. For Georgia to be the ‘best state for businesses,’ it must also be the best state for working families. Our elected officials and leaders across the state must listen to the people and take immediate action.”
Advocacy Day, she said, is their biggest event of the year, and it means so much to them because for some women, they get to bring them back and update them on things that they have been advocating for a while.
“We’re bringing women and children who have never been to the state capitol before, and for the first time, they’re getting to see not only who their legislators are, but how to speak with them,” she said. “It’s a cool, exciting day.
She also says it’s important for people to pay attention to paid leave for several reasons, one being people may not be aware they are beneficiaries of paid leave in some cases, or even know what paid leave is.
“It’s important we educate people on what leave is and what they are entitled to, either in their workplaces or just as citizens,” she said. “It’s also important for people to learn about and fight for paid leave because paid leave is a healthcare solution. Some of our biggest problems in society come from an inability to care for ourselves or our loved ones the way they should be.”
Bowles said it normally looks like missed doctor’s appointments that leads to more long, enduring health problems, or missed parent-teacher conferences, which might look like manifested behavior in your child, and so many other different things.
Paid leave, Bowles says, is the ability to care for yourselves, your loved ones, both children and aging elders.
“This is a generation right now where we’ve got people taking care of both their younger children and the aging folks in their community as well,” she said.
During the meeting before the capitol visit, 9to5 discussed the Georgia Coalition for Paid Leave’s efforts to advocate for better leave policies.
In 2021, HB 146 provided three weeks of paid leave to state workers, which was extended to six weeks with HB 1010 in 2024. The coalition, made up of over 35 organizations, aims to expand leave access to more workers.
House Bill 1118, currently under consideration, would offer three additional weeks of leave to birthing mothers.
The coalition emphasizes the need for comprehensive leave policies that cover all workers and urged legislators to fund an actuarial study to explore workable solutions.
One of their outcomes they hope to achieve is letting their legislators know they’re grateful for HB 1118, which was introduced in February 2026 by Rep. Sandy Donatucci and proposes 120 hours (initially 80) of paid maternal birth leave for eligible state and local school employees. The bill passed the House Public and Community Health Committee in Feb. 10 and moves to the House Rules Committee.
“We have a long list of issues we want better for when it comes to black and brown, working women and their families, but we’re picking just one today, and the one issue is to just tell our legislators thank you and to vote yes on HB 1118,” she said. “Which will add three more weeks of paid time off for birthing women.”
Additionally, Bowles said we are in a state with one of the highest maternal mortality rates and infant mortality rates.
“We all know all women deserve this bill, but especially for Georgia’s women. However, this bill is only for state employees, educators of public-school districts, and only adds three more weeks to the six that already weren’t enough, so we are here to say thank you, but we have more work to do,” she said.
One of the things Bowles said they need to know is what this would look like for every woman in Georgia to have this right, and the bill being for birthing mothers adds a little bit to the labor imbalance in a home because this bill only impacts working moms.
“What about that dad, that partner, or working support? So, this bill gives working moms three extra weeks off, and that means they have more time together with their babies, which is a blessing, but we also know that moms can’t do it alone,” she said. “Having a bill that has partners eligible for it also would help and make sure this same expansion applies to all of Georgia’s women.”
As many Georgia workers lack access to paid medical and family leave, far too many employees lack reliable, much-needed time off. Through sickness and important life events, they are forced to choose between caring for themselves and their families or risking their jobs.
Lacking paid leave strains their own wellness and personal lives, but also limits their ability to succeed in work.
“Working women shouldn’t have to worry about losing pay just to care for themselves or their loved ones,” said Jasmine Bowles, executive state director of 9to5 Georgia. “Paid leave policies are long overdue in Georgia’s private sector. For Georgia to be the ‘best state for businesses,’ it must also be the best state for working families. Our elected officials and leaders across the state must listen to the people and take immediate action.”
Advocacy Day, she said, is their biggest event of the year, and it means so much to them because for some women, they get to bring them back and update them on things that they have been advocating for a while.
“We’re bringing women and children who have never been to the state capitol before, and for the first time, they’re getting to see not only who their legislators are, but how to speak with them,” she said. “It’s a cool, exciting day.
She also says it’s important for people to pay attention to paid leave for several reasons, including that they may not be aware they are beneficiaries in some cases, or even know what paid leave is.
“It’s important we educate people on what leave is and what they are entitled to, either in their workplaces or just as citizens,” she said. “It’s also important for people to learn about and fight for paid leave because paid leave is a healthcare solution. Some of our biggest problems in society come from an inability to care for ourselves or our loved ones the way they should be.”
Bowles said it normally looks like missed doctor’s appointments that lead to more long-lasting health problems, or missed parent-teacher conferences, which might manifest as behavior in your child, and so many other things.
Paid leave, Bowles says, is the ability to care for yourselves, your loved ones, both children and aging elders.
“This is a generation right now where we’ve got people taking care of both their younger children and the aging folks in their community as well,” she said.
During the meeting before the Capitol visit, 9to5 discussed the Georgia Coalition for Paid Leave’s efforts to advocate for better leave policies.
In 2021, HB 146 provided three weeks of paid leave to state workers, which was extended to six weeks with HB 1010 in 2024. The coalition, made up of over 35 organizations, aims to expand access to leave for more workers.
House Bill 1118, currently under consideration, would offer three additional weeks of leave to birthing mothers.
The coalition emphasizes the need for comprehensive leave policies that cover all workers and urges legislators to fund an actuarial study to explore workable solutions.
One of their outcomes they hope to achieve is letting their legislators know they’re grateful for HB 1118, which was introduced in February 2026 by Rep. Sandy Donatucci and proposes 120 hours (initially 80) of paid maternal birth leave for eligible state and local school employees. The bill passed the House Public and Community Health Committee on Feb. 10 and moves to the House Rules Committee.
“We have a long list of issues we want better for when it comes to black and brown, working women and their families, but we’re picking just one today, and the one issue is to just tell our legislators thank you and to vote yes on HB 1118,” she said. “Which will add three more weeks of paid time off for birthing women.”
Additionally, Bowles said we are in a state with one of the highest maternal mortality rates and infant mortality rates.
“We all know all women deserve this bill, but especially for Georgia’s women. However, this bill is only for state employees, educators of public-school districts, and only adds three more weeks to the six that already weren’t enough, so we are here to say thank you, but we have more work to do,” she said.
One of the things Bowles said they need to know is what this would look like for every woman in Georgia to have this right, and the bill being for birthing mothers adds a little bit to the labor imbalance in a home because this bill only impacts working moms.
“What about that dad, that partner, or working support? So, this bill gives working moms three extra weeks off, and that means they have more time together with their babies, which is a blessing, but we also know that moms can’t do it alone,” she said. “Having a bill that has partners eligible for it also would help and make sure this same expansion applies to all of Georgia’s women.”
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