The Bucks County Commissioners are exploring the possibility of implementing a paid family leave policy for county employees.
Commissioner Chairperson Bob Harvie, a Democrat, said the county is examining a potential policy after being questioned by a resident during last week’s commissioners meeting.
“This is something we are exploring here at the county,” Harvie said. “It is something that certainly we have spent several months trying to decide, you know, how best to make that work for our employees.”
Harvie did not provide specific details regarding the county’s exploration, including potential timelines for implementation or the scope of benefits being considered.
Ann Ferguson, a 32-year resident of Bucks County, addressed the commissioners during the public comment period and asked them to consider offering paid maternity leave to county workers. She noted that neighboring Montgomery County already provides the benefit to its workers.
Ferguson cited statistics on mothers returning to work after childbirth.
“Twenty-five percent of women go back to work when their babies are 10 days old and 5 percent are back to work by their six week checkup,” she stated.
Ferguson pointed to surrounding states with implemented paid family leave programs, noting that New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware “all have different names” for their policies.
Ferguson also noted that two bills addressing paid family leave are currently in the Pennsylvania legislature—one in the Senate and one in the House.
The federal government began offering up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave to its employees starting in 2020, while the state government offers eight weeks of paid parental leave.Montgomery County passed a policy in 2024 allowing its government employees 12 to 16 weeks of paid family leave with bipartisan support.
According to 2023 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 27 percent of private sector workers and 28 percent of government workers were offered paid family leave.
Nationally, policymakers are exploring ways to increase the birth rate among high costs and other challenges.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data from last year showed the birth rate fell to 1.6 last year, a drop from 2.1 in 2007 and 3.5 in the early 1960s, according to CBS News.
Across county government, row offices, and the courts, Bucks County employs approximately 2,500 people.
The move to explore new benefits comes as the county, like many public and private sector employers, has worked to attract applicants for open jobs in recent years.
