Families Left Behind
FAMLI Bill Puts Focus Where It Belongs
By State Sen. Angela Williams
Special to the GPHN
It is the nature of democracy to have disagreements. My colleagues and I butt heads on everything from questions as large as “what is the role of government?” to technicalities as minute as a single word in a section of a bill.
But one thing that we all agree on is the importance of family. No matter how far apart we may be ideologically, we all believe that our families come first. This deeply held belief conflicts with the realities of everyday lives of working people in this state. That is why I decided to introduce the Family and Medical Leave Insurance Act (FAMLI) alongside my fellow co-prime sponsor, Sen. Faith Winter.
One in four women in Colorado returns to work a mere two weeks after having a baby – this is before the physical wounds of childbirth have healed and well before a newborn is even allowed to enter a daycare facility.
We are proud of our uniquely thriving economy that has allowed small, family-owned businesses to thrive across the state. But because the federal paid family leave program does not apply to companies with fewer than 50 employees, too many Colorado families are left behind. Without a safety net to protect them from the massive gaps in the federal paid family leave policy, new parents are frequently forced to make difficult decisions that they should never have to even entertain.
SB19-188 creates a family and medical leave insurance program within the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment to provide paid family leave to residents who give birth, adopt a child, or need to care for a family member in the event of a medical crisis.
This bill stipulates that the salary paid during the leave of an employee is paid for through both deductions from the employee’s paycheck and a matched employer contribution. These contributions, totaling 0.4 percent of a worker’s salary, are pooled into a state fund that is given to applicants.
This is the fifth time a paid family medical leave bill has been introduced to the Colorado Legislature. In the previous four iterations of this legislation, the business community took issue with the ways in which the bill did not protect small employers from the economic impact of providing this safety net.
As the sponsor of this bill and the chair of the Senate Business, Labor and Technology Committee, I have made it a priority to give employers a voice as this bill has evolved. The FAMLI bill we introduced not only protects employees from suffering in the event of a life-changing matter, but it also protects small businesses, allowing them to remain competitive with the larger businesses that can offer their employees paid leave.
The truth is that sooner or later, we will all experience a life-changing medical event that could turn our finances, and often our entire lives, upside down. This bill is not just for new parents who are expanding their families – it is also for those who have loved ones that require care.
As a senator and former businesswoman, I believe that no job should ever come between you and your ability to provide care for your loved ones as they either begin their life or near the end of it. I also believe we must ensure that small businesses have the resources they need to thrive as a positive influence and source of employment in their communities.
The passage of SB19-188, the Family Medical Leave Insurance Program, is our path forward to enshrining those beliefs into law.
Angela Williams represents District 33, which includes Park Hill, in the Colorado State Senate. She can be contacted at 303-866-4864.