OKC Standard

Oklahoma City, OK – Congresswoman Stephanie Bice and Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan have introduced the Protecting Military Parental Leave Evaluations Act. This proposed legislation aims to establish consistent policies across all military branches regarding performance evaluations during parental leave periods. The bill seeks to provide servicemembers with two years to utilize their parental leave without requiring a waiver, addressing current inconsistencies in policy.

Currently, parental leave policies differ among military branches, lacking a unified approach to how long-term parental leave impacts evaluations. Presently, servicemembers must use their leave within one year unless they obtain a waiver. The new bill intends to standardize these practices, ensuring that taking parental leave does not disadvantage servicemembers in their careers.

Congresswoman Bice stated: "We must continue to commit to upholding the high standards required of our military, but we cannot forget our commitment to supporting military families. This legislation ensures that servicemembers who take parental leave are not unfairly penalized for prioritizing their families. This is a win for parents and for our national defense."

In recent years, the U.S. military has expanded parental leave options, offering up to 12 weeks of paid leave for both primary and secondary caregivers. However, concerns have been raised about inconsistent evaluation policies during such leaves. Department of Defense policy currently mandates that parental leave be taken within the first year with exceptions only benefiting the military.

The proposed extension allowing an additional year provides flexibility for servicemembers and units when planning around factors like permanent change of station orders or promotion timing while considering family circumstances.