Connecting Other Families That Are Grieving The Loss Of Children

**DeAndre Thompson Parental Bereavement Protection Act - Proposed Legislation**

**Date:** Created March 28, 2024

**Summary:**

The DeAndre Thompson Parental Bereavement Protection Act is a proposed legislation that aims to provide additional support to working parents in the state of Georgia who have experienced the loss of a child. The bill seeks to expand the current bereavement leave policies by offering an additional 10 days plus four weeks of Extended Compassionate Leave, in addition to the existing 3-4 days typically provided by corporations for employees to attend the funeral and grieve the loss of their child.

**Key Points:**

- The proposed legislation is named in honor of DeAndre Thompson, who lost his life to cancer in 2018, and since, his mom felt the need for more comprehensive bereavement support.

- The bill is designed to benefit working parents employed by organizations with 25 or more employees within the state of Georgia.

- The additional 4 weeks of Extended Compassionate Leave will be separate from the existing bereavement leave and can be used in any increments within the year of the child's death.

- The legislation aims to provide parents with the necessary time to grieve and cope with the loss of their child without the immediate pressure to return to work.

**Current Status:**

As of March 28, 2024, the DeAndre Thompson Parental Bereavement Protection Act is still in the proposal stage and has not yet been passed by the Georgia Capitol. The bill's sponsor, Denetra Smiley, has been actively seeking support from representatives but has not yet secured a champion to introduce the bill formally.

**Next Steps:**

Denetra Smiley is committed to advocating for the passage of this bill and is continuing efforts to engage with representatives and garner support for the legislation. The goal is to have the bill introduced and passed during the 2026 legislative session.

Looking forward to my bill being passed in January here in Georgia.

Looking for my local leaders to support me. I am in Acworth GA and have reached out to ALL my local officials, but to my surprise, no response. District #31 State Senate Senator Jason Anavitarte, State House #16 Representative Trey Kelley, Congressional #14 MarjorieTaylorGreene, and Commissioner #4.

If anyone know these people personally can you have them contact me: smileyconnectionsllc@gmail.com. THANK YOU!

#deandrethompsonparentalbereavementprotectionact