According to the Mayo Clinic, miscarriages occur in about 20% of all pregnancies, and generally, in the first 12 weeks. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 1 out of every 100 American pregnancies ends in stillbirth. Black women have a significantly higher risk of miscarrying— 43% higher when compared to white women. Black mothers are also more than twice as likely to experience stillbirth compared to Hispanic and white mothers.
House Bill 65 provides State employees who suffer a miscarriage, stillbirth or other loss, a maximum of 5 days of paid bereavement leave. This Act shall be known as the “Sloane Hajek Act of 2023”.
I tried to google Sloane Hajek and nothing came up but this bill, so I have to assume that Ms. Hajek was either a mother who suffered such a loss or was the child lost. Either way, this is of course a commendable bill, and my only complaint is that this bill should be expanded to all private employees rather than state employees, but the General Assembly usually does these things in steps: state employees first to see how it works and then private employees.
| House Bill 65 – Bereavement Leave | Currrent Status – House Health & Human Development 1/20/23 |
| House Sponsors – Heffernan, Longhurst, Minor-Brown, Baumbach | Senate Sponsors – Poore, Hoffner |
| House Yes Votes – | Senate Yes Votes – |
| House No Votes – | Senate No Votes – |
| House Absents or Not Voting – | Senate Absent or Not Voting – |
“Other Loss” ?? like………