Defeat of Paid Family Leave Bill is a Loss for Colorado’s Small Businesses

A Colorado Senate committee dealt a setback to small businesses when it decided not to advance HB18-1001, the Family Medical Leave Insurance Program (FAMLI), because this measure would have leveled the playing field for firms that are unable to provide paid leave programs while also helping their bottom lines.

This bill would have created a state-administered, employee-funded paid family and medical leave insurance program that would have provided Colorado employees with paid time off to bond with a new child or care for an ill relative. The FAMLI Act would have greatly benefited the many small businesses that struggle to offer this sort of benefit by reducing turnover, upping productivity and boosting employee morale. What’s more, the small business community favors this type of program.

Small Business Majority’s scientific opinion polling found a majority of small employers nationwide support the creation of state-administered paid family and medical leave insurance programs funded entirely by modest employee contributions. Additionally, 70 percent of small employers want legislators to create a national paid family and medical leave insurance program. In the absence of that type of program, however, a state option here in Colorado would significantly help local small businesses.

Small employers know it is important to give employees ways to balance their work and family responsibilities, but they need options that also make sense for their business’ bottom lines. The FAMLI Act addresses those concerns, which is why we hope the Colorado legislature takes up this legislation again in the future.