Parental Leave Policies; Teleconferencing. |
(b) The following parental leave policy shall apply to all Commissions:
(1) Members meeting the eligibility requirements of subsection (c)(1), below, shall be allowed to take parental leave for 32 weeks, or until the member no longer meets the eligibility requirements. Members meeting the eligibility requirements of subsection (c)(2), below, shall be allowed to take parental leave for 16 weeks, or until the member no longer meets the eligibility requirements.
(2) Members shall be excused from attending and participating in meetings of the Commission or its committees, whether in person or by teleconferencing, while on parental leave.
(3) Members may attend and participate in public meetings of the Commission or its committees by teleconferencing while on parental leave, as further provided in subsection (e), below.
(c) A member of the Commission shall be eligible for parental leave when:
(1) The member is physically unable to fulfill the member’s duties, including attending Commission meetings in person, due to the member’s pregnancy, childbirth, or related condition, as certified by a health care provider, or
(2) The member is absent to care for the member’s child after birth of the child, or after placement of the child with the member or the member’s immediate family for adoption or foster care.
(d) If the Charter or any ordinance supersedes any part of the leave policy set out in subsection (b), above, it shall be City policy to support and promote the substance of that leave policy to the fullest extent allowed by law.
(e) A member may attend and participate in meetings of the Commission or its committees by teleconferencing while that member is on parental leave granted pursuant to this Section 67B.1. “Teleconference” shall mean a meeting of the Commission or its committees, the members of which are in different locations, connected by electronic means, through either audio or video, or both.
(1) Participation by teleconferencing pursuant to such policy shall satisfy all otherwise applicable requirements of City law regarding quorum numbers and the number of votes required to take particular actions.
(2) Members participating by teleconferencing pursuant to such policy shall comply with all otherwise applicable State and City laws regarding public meetings and public records.
(f) A member participating in the Health Service System and on parental leave shall maintain Health Service System benefits as provided in Administrative Code Section 16.700.
(g) It shall be City policy that a member shall not be removed from a Commission for having sought or taken parental leave, and seeking or taking parental leave shall not be considered good cause for removing a member. Absences occurring while a member is on parental leave shall not be considered for purposes of any ordinance providing that a member of a Commission shall be deemed to have constructively resigned after missing a specified number of meetings.
(h) Each Commission shall amend its rules of order or other similar document to include the parental leave policy, and shall provide a copy to all Commission staff and newly-appointed Commission members.
(Added by Ord. 156-21, File No. 210586, App. 10/8/2021, Eff. 11/8/2021)