The Public Workforce Modernization Act, which goes into effect Oct. 1, is the largest overhaul of North Carolina’s state human resources system in more than 60 years, according to the North Carolina Office of State Human Resources (OSHR).
“Everybody’s thrilled over the parental leave. I mean, that’s just huge,” said Suzanne Beasley, government relations director for the State Employees Association of North Carolina (SEANC), which helped state leaders and lawmakers craft the law.
The bill, which passed the General Assembly with unanimous, bipartisan support and was signed by Gov. Josh Stein, increases paid parental leave for state employees to 12 weeks for both mothers and fathers. Previously, mothers received eight weeks and fathers received four weeks.
North Carolina is the first state in the South to offer 12 weeks of fully paid leave to both mothers and fathers in the public sector, according to SEANC. The change also applies to public schools, community colleges and the University of North Carolina system.
While parental leave is only one of the changes in the newly rewritten law, it’s an important benefit to Alexandra Kaulback, who works as a probation and parole officer at the N.C. Department of Adult Correction in Albemarle and is a member of SEANC.
She doesn’t have children yet, but says starting a family has been on her mind. The ability to have an extra month of maternity leave would be huge, she said, especially in her line of work which is physically demanding.
“We’re in the field, we’re up and down. We carry a gun, taser, and duty belt,” said Kaulback. “So just the changes in your body and having to readjust, I feel like it would be hard [to come back to work earlier].”
The Oct. 1 start date for the new law has likely been on the minds of state employees who are expecting babies in the coming weeks and aren’t sure which parental leave policy they’ll fall under – the old law or the new law.
“There’s an officer in my office that is pregnant, and she’s like, ‘Oh, I’m just trying to make it Oct. 1 so I can have a little bit more time with my baby,’” Kaulback said.
At the governor’s bill signing in July, Anna Troxler, a Raleigh public school teacher and mother of two, told those gathered why paid parental leave is so important, especially for teachers. She received no paid leave when her first son was born in 2023. Instead, she relied on accrued sick time and unpaid leave to spend time with her baby and recover from the birth.
“The decision to stay out on unpaid leave was necessary for my own health and the well-being of my family, but also added to the stress of navigating the changes that come with being a new parent,” she said.
When her second son was born earlier this year, she was able to take eight weeks of paid leave thanks to an expansion of paid parental leave for public school employees a few years prior. The new law allowing 12 weeks is even better, she said.
“Twelve weeks of paid leave provides the needed time and support to recover mentally and physically after the addition of a new family member,” said Troxler, who has been a teacher for 11 years. “It’s so important for teachers to be able to take care of themselves in order to take care of their students.”
Bereavement leave, faster hiring among other changes
Expanded parental leave isn’t the only change in the updated law. The addition of bereavement leave for all state employees is also new.
In 2024, former Gov. Roy Cooper signed an executive order granting up to 40 hours of bereavement leave for all cabinet agencies under his oversight. All other state agencies and state universities were encouraged to adopt the policy, but it wasn’t required.
The new law codifies bereavement leave statewide so employees aren’t forced to take vacation days for a death in the family.
State employees will also see changes to how they can earn money. State human resources leaders plan to review the classification and compensation system to identify opportunities for improvement. High performers may be eligible for performance-based incentives.
The law is expanding compensation flexibility. Previously, policymaking and exempt managerial positions within Council of State agencies had 10% compensation flexibility. All agencies now have 30% compensation flexibility.
State employees aren’t the only ones benefiting from the new changes. Job seekers will see new and improved systems as well, including a faster hiring process, according to State Human Resources Director Staci Meyer.
The current system has been “too slow [and] too rigid to meet the demands of a 21st century workforce,” she told attendees at the governor’s bill signing.
“Highly qualified applicants are burdened by our process and they wait too long to hear after applying,” Meyer said. “This legislation will help attract the next generation of state employees … It’s a testament to the importance of this legislation that we made it here today without opposition any step of the way.”
The law cuts the temporary-to-permanent hiring window from six months to three months. It also creates new, flexible entry pathways into state government, such as apprenticeships, fellowships, and temporary or time-limited roles that can convert to permanent positions more quickly.
The state will allow lateral transfers within an agency and give hiring preference to spouses of active-duty service members.
The changes are much needed, said SEANC’s government relations director, who is proud of the bipartisan work to pass the bill.
“It was so refreshing to be able to work together, not only with the [state HR] agency but with legislators. We all answered each other’s questions and made adjustments,” Beasley said. “It was wonderful to work on a piece of legislation that everybody understood needed to happen for the good of not only employees but for the citizens of North Carolina who receive services.”
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