The Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce announced its position on one bill working its way through the Colorado General Assembly.
HB15-1258 FAMLI Insurance Program Wage Replacement/Rep. Faith Winter (D-Westminster) and Sen. Jessie Ulibarri (D-Commerce City)
Summary: The bill creates the family and medical leave insurance (FAMLI) program in the newly created Division of Family and Medical Leave Insurance in the Department of Labor and Employment. The division would provide partial wage replacement benefits to eligible individuals who take leave from work to care for a new child or a family member with a serious health condition or who are unable to work due to their own serious health condition. Prior to implementing the program, the department is to conduct an actuarial analysis to determine the appropriate level of premiums and solvency surcharges to ensure the soundness of the program. The bill expands employer coverage to employers with one or more employee, as compared to 50 employees under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act.
The Chamber opposes HB15-1258 because expansion of the FMLA for all employers would be costly and burdensome to implement, requiring an additional employee payroll deduction as well as significant administrative and operational costs.
Click here to view all the Chamber’s positions this session.
Jennifer Jones is the director of public affairs for the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce.
[Photo by: Ken Lund]
