The Ohio Civil Rights Commission has voted to require that companies with at least four employees offer mothers 12 weeks of unpaid maternity leave.

That's more specific than the current state law requiring that women get a "reasonable" period of time off to care for a newborn. A legislative committee must still sign off on the change, but that step is generally just a formality.

The new policy would put Ohio among at least 19 states that provide more generous maternity benefits than required by federal mandates. Federal law says women must receive up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave, but they must have worked at the job a certain amount of time.

The new state policy would apply regardless of how long a woman
has worked.