HB 1318: Labor and industrial relations; actuarial study on state based paid family and medical leave insurance program; provide

Georgia does not currently have a state paid family and medical leave insurance program. This bill does not create one. Instead, it adds a new, temporary chapter to Title 34 of Georgia law directing the Department of Labor to contract with an independent actuary by October 1, 2026, to study what such a program could look like and cost. The study must examine possible program rules such as who would be covered, wage replacement rates, leave length, and a 50/50 employer-employee premium split, and estimate the premiums needed to keep the program financially solvent. The Department of Labor would work with the Office of the State Treasurer on the study, which must be finished by January 15, 2027, shared with top state officials, and posted publicly by February 15, 2027. The new chapter automatically repeals on June 30, 2027, and the whole bill only takes effect if the General Assembly separately appropriates funding for it.

• Creates a new, temporary chapter in Title 34 of Georgia law requiring an actuarial study of a possible state paid family and medical leave insurance program.
• Requires the Department of Labor to contract with an independent, third-party actuary by October 1, 2026 to conduct the study.
• Directs the study to model at least two program designs, including cost, premium rates, wage replacement levels, leave duration, and coverage rules.
• Requires the Department of Labor to work with the Office of the State Treasurer and other state agencies to complete the study.
• Sets deadlines: the study must be finished by January 15, 2027, shared with state leaders, and posted on the department's website by February 15, 2027.
• Automatically repeals this new chapter of law on June 30, 2027, and makes the whole bill effective only if the legislature separately funds it.

The Georgia Department of Labor and the Office of the State Treasurer, which must jointly run the study; a hired third-party actuary; and indirectly, Georgia workers, employers, and small businesses who would be affected if a future paid leave insurance program were eventually created based on the study's findings.

No paid leave program would exist yet under this bill. Its practical effect is that Georgia would get detailed cost estimates and design options for a potential paid family and medical leave program, information lawmakers could later use to decide whether to create and fund such a program.

• Section 1 lists legislative findings on labor force participation, caregiving demands, and lack of paid leave access, and states the General Assembly's intent to study a self-sustaining leave insurance program.
• Section 2 adds Code Section 34-11-1 defining terms like 'paid family and medical leave insurance program' and 'qualified third-party actuary.'
• Code Section 34-11-2 requires the study by October 1, 2026 and lists parameters to evaluate, including a 50/50 employer-employee premium split, a 90 percent wage replacement rate for lower wages, and a 12-week minimum leave duration.
• Code Section 34-11-3 requires the actuary to model at least two program designs and maintain reserves equal to about 135 percent of prior-year benefits paid.
• Code Section 34-11-4 sets a January 15, 2027 deadline to deliver the study to state leaders and a February 15, 2027 deadline to post it publicly.
• Code Section 34-11-6 automatically repeals this entire chapter of law on June 30, 2027.
• Section 3 makes the entire Act effective only if the General Assembly passes a specific appropriation fully funding it.

1. 2026-03-03House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
2. 2026-02-19House Second Readers (House)
3. 2026-02-18House First Readers (House)
4. 2026-02-17House Hopper (House)

• Kasey Carpenter (R, HD-004)Primary sponsor
• Carmen Rice (R, HD-139)
• Dewey McClain (D, HD-109)
• Stacey Evans (D, HD-057)

• paid family leave
• labor law
• Department of Labor
• state budget
• workers' benefits