Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador’s office will significantly reduce paid time off for new parents starting this summer.

In an email to staff Friday, then-Chief of Staff Phil Skinner announced the Attorney General’s Office would cut paid parental leave down from eight weeks to two weeks starting July 1.

“After significant consideration, as part of our ongoing efforts to operate more efficiently and responsibly — especially in light of anticipated budget shortfalls — we will be making a change to the paid parental leave policy,” Skinner wrote, according to a copy of the email that the Idaho Capital Sun obtained through a public records request. “… This decision was not made lightly. We are deeply appreciative of the commitment and service each of you brings to the office.”

The cut — issued just before the Legislature will reconvene as the state faces projected budget deficits — sets the Attorney General’s Office apart from executive branch agencies managed by Gov. Brad Little. In 2020, Little issued an executive order requiring eight weeks of paid time off for executive branch agencies, and he encouraged the state’s other elected officials to follow suit.

“The eight-week paid parental leave began in 2020 as a discretionary executive policy, not a legislative mandate,” the Attorney General Office’s General Counsel and latest Chief of Staff Yvonne Dunbar said in a statement Wednesday. “As public servants, we work for Idaho taxpayers, and this adjustment reflects our commitment to responsible stewardship of their resources while supporting our team.”

Staff in the Attorney General’s Office who need more time after the birth or adoption of a child, and who qualify for leave under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, or FMLA, “may use accrued sick leave, as well as unpaid FMLA leave,” Skinner wrote in the email to staff.

Labrador’s spokesperson Damon Sidur said Skinner was promoted to chief deputy attorney general on Monday.