HB 1173: DeAndre Thompson Parental Bereavement Protection Act; enact

Georgia law currently does not guarantee most workers time off when a close family member dies. This bill, named for DeAndre Thompson, would change that across three areas of state law. Teachers and other school personnel would gain a right to bereavement leave and extended compassionate leave under a new provision added to the sick leave statute. Private employers with 25 or more employees would have to give workers who put in at least 30 hours a week for six months up to three paid days and ten unpaid days of bereavement leave per year, plus up to four unpaid weeks of extended compassionate leave if a family member dies by homicide or suicide, is killed or missing in military service, or is reported missing. State government employees would get the same leave structure under a parallel new Code section. Employers could require documentation and could deny leave only if it would unduly disrupt operations. Employees could sue for violations, including reinstatement and lost wages, within 180 days of the alleged violation.

• Adds a new Code section (O.C.G.A. § 34-1-11) requiring private employers with 25+ employees to give eligible workers three paid and ten unpaid bereavement leave days per year.
• Grants those same private-sector employees up to four unpaid weeks of extended compassionate leave when a family member dies by homicide, suicide, is killed or missing in military action, or is reported missing.
• Adds a parallel new Code section (O.C.G.A. § 45-20-17.1) giving eligible state government employees the identical bereavement and extended compassionate leave benefits.
• Amends the teacher sick leave law (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-851) to entitle school personnel to the same bereavement and extended compassionate leave.
• Makes it illegal for employers or the state to retaliate against employees for using, attempting to use, or supporting others' use of this leave, unless it would unduly disrupt operations.
• Creates a civil lawsuit remedy allowing affected employees to seek reinstatement, back pay, and attorney's fees within 180 days of a violation.

Private-sector employees who work 30+ hours a week for at least six months at companies with 25 or more employees, public school teachers and staff, and Georgia state government employees. It also affects private employers, school districts, and state agencies, which must grant the leave and may face lawsuits for violations.

Workers who lose a close family member, especially to violence or in military service, would gain a legal right to paid and unpaid time off to handle funerals, legal matters, and grief-related mental health care, rather than relying on employer discretion or existing sick leave.

• Section 2 amends O.C.G.A. § 20-2-851 so school personnel are entitled to bereavement and extended compassionate leave under the new § 45-20-17.1 standard, unless it disrupts school operations.
• Section 3 creates O.C.G.A. § 34-1-11, defining 'immediate family member,' 'bereavement leave,' and 'extended compassionate leave' for private employers with 25 or more employees.
• Section 3 sets leave amounts: three paid and ten unpaid bereavement days per year, and four unpaid weeks of extended compassionate leave, to be used within 60 days or one year respectively.
• Section 3 requires 48 hours' advance notice from employees when practicable and allows employers to request documentation such as a death certificate or obituary.
• Section 3 bars retaliation against employees using this leave and creates a civil action with remedies including reinstatement, back pay, and attorney's fees within 180 days.
• Section 4 creates O.C.G.A. § 45-20-17.1, extending an identical leave structure to eligible state government employees, with rulemaking assigned to the State Personnel Board for state departments and agencies.
• Section 5 repeals conflicting laws.

1. 2026-02-05House Second Readers (Cámara de Representantes)
2. 2026-02-04House First Readers (Cámara de Representantes)
3. 2026-02-03House Hopper (Cámara de Representantes)

• Sandra Scott (D, HD-076)Patrocinador principal
• Dewey McClain (D, HD-109)
• Viola Davis (D, HD-087)
• Kim Schofield (D, HD-063)

• bereavement leave
• workplace rights
• teacher leave policy
• state employee benefits
• labor law