--- title: HR 1048. General Assembly; adopt the Georgia Bereaved Parents and Family Support Act of 2026; urge collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr1048 cite_as: HR 1048, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1048 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1048.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1048/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72376 date: 2026-01-29 status: introduced corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1047.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1049.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 129 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1048.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 1048 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-01-27 last_action: House Second Readers sponsors: - Kim Schofield - Sandra Scott - Viola Davis - Dewey McClain text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR1048/2025 upstream_id: 2095065 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - bereavement leave - workplace policy - family leave - employment law - child loss --- # HR 1048. General Assembly; adopt the Georgia Bereaved Parents and Family Support Act of 2026; urge ## Text House Resolution 1048 By: Representatives Schofield of the 63rd, Scott of the 76th, Davis of the 87th, and McClain of the 109th A RESOLUTION Urging the introduction, consideration, and adoption of the Georgia Bereaved Parents and Family Support Act of 2026 to provide job-protected bereavement leave for parents who experience the death of a child; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, the death of a child is among the most devastating and life-altering experiences a parent or family can endure, resulting in profound and lasting emotional, psychological, and physical impacts; and WHEREAS, existing bereavement leave practices in Georgia are often limited, inconsistent, or insufficient, frequently requiring grieving parents to return to work before they are emotionally or mentally prepared; and WHEREAS, the General Assembly recognizes that workplace policies grounded in equity, dignity, and compassion strengthen families, improve workforce stability, and support long-term community well-being; and WHEREAS, employers commonly provide extended leave for maternity, paternity, or parental bonding, reflecting an understanding that major family life events require meaningful recovery time, and similar consideration should be afforded to parents grieving the loss of a child; and WHEREAS, legislative models from other states demonstrate that job-protected bereavement leave can be implemented responsibly without mandating paid leave and without imposing undue burden on employers, while improving employee retention and mental health outcomes; and WHEREAS, allowing the use of accrued paid leave while maintaining job protection respects both the needs of bereaved families and the operational realities of employers; and WHEREAS, the General Assembly recognizes that providing up to two weeks of job-protected paid bereavement leave following the death of an immediate family member, including a child or parent and including loss resulting from violent or criminal acts, supports workforce stability, reduces lost wages and productivity disruptions, mitigates long-term mental and physical health costs, enables affected individuals to participate fully in law enforcement and judicial processes, and promotes a safe, timely, and productive return to employment while respecting employer flexibility and economic realities; and WHEREAS, Georgia has the opportunity to lead with compassion by establishing a humane and consistent framework that recognizes the unique and lifelong impact of child loss on parents and families. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body urge the introduction and adoption of legislation to be known as the Georgia Bereaved Parents and Family Support Act of 2026, that would provide up to six weeks of job-protected bereavement leave for parents who experience the death of a child; limit bereavement leave to no more than two weeks per deceased family member, with a maximum of four weeks total, ensuring balanced and equitable application; apply to employers with twenty-five or more employees, aligning with existing employment thresholds; not require paid leave, while permitting employees to use accrued paid leave, vacation, sick leave, or other available leave during the bereavement period; include job protection and anti-retaliation provisions, ensuring employees may return to the same or an equivalent position without adverse employment action; and center the unique, lifelong impact of child loss, affirming Georgia's commitment to dignity, compassion, and support for working families. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the Governor of Georgia, the Lieutenant Governor, the Speaker of the House, and the chairs of the appropriate House and Senate committees for consideration during the 2026 legislative session. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia House resolution urges lawmakers to introduce and pass a bill creating job-protected bereavement leave, including up to six weeks for parents whose child dies. ### Plain-language summary This resolution does not itself change Georgia law. Instead, it urges members of the General Assembly to introduce and adopt a future bill called the Georgia Bereaved Parents and Family Support Act of 2026, which would give job-protected bereavement leave to grieving employees. The resolution describes what that future law should include: up to six weeks of job-protected leave for parents who lose a child, a general limit of two weeks per deceased family member with a four-week total cap, and coverage for employers with 25 or more employees. The leave would not have to be paid, but employees could use their own accrued paid leave, vacation, or sick time during that period. The proposed law would also include job protection and anti-retaliation rules so employees can return to the same or an equivalent job. Copies of this resolution would go to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Speaker of the House, and relevant committee chairs for the 2026 session. ### What it does - Urges (but does not itself enact) legislation called the Georgia Bereaved Parents and Family Support Act of 2026 to create job-protected bereavement leave. - Calls for up to six weeks of job-protected leave specifically for parents whose child has died. - Recommends capping bereavement leave at two weeks per deceased family member, with a four-week total maximum. - Recommends applying the future law only to employers with 25 or more employees. - Recommends that the leave not be required to be paid, though employees could use their own accrued paid leave, vacation, or sick leave. - Recommends job protection and anti-retaliation provisions so an employee can return to the same or an equivalent position. ### Who it affects The resolution's recommendations would affect employees experiencing the death of a child or other immediate family member, and employers in Georgia with 25 or more employees who would need to grant this leave and protect the employee's job under the future bill it describes. ### Why it matters Because this is a resolution rather than an enacted law, it changes nothing immediately. But it signals legislative interest in requiring Georgia employers with 25 or more workers to hold a grieving employee's job open for weeks after a death in the family, without mandating pay during that time. ### Key provisions - The resolution's operative clause urges introduction and adoption of the Georgia Bereaved Parents and Family Support Act of 2026, rather than enacting any requirement directly. - The described future law would offer up to six weeks of job-protected leave for parents after a child's death. - It would limit leave to two weeks per deceased family member and cap total leave at four weeks. - It would apply only to employers with 25 or more employees. - It would not require paid leave but would let employees use accrued paid leave, vacation, or sick leave during the bereavement period. - It would include anti-retaliation and job-protection provisions guaranteeing return to the same or an equivalent position. - The Clerk of the House is directed to send copies of the resolution to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Speaker of the House, and relevant committee chairs for the 2026 session. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2026-01-27) - Last action: House Second Readers (2026-01-29) - Sponsors: Kim Schofield, Sandra Scott, Viola Davis, Dewey McClain - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72376 > The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1048.md?full=1