Op-Ed by Loren Furman for Colorado Politics
The latest developments arising from Colorado’s newly-formed Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) Task Force are cause for concern that the process to create balanced policy on such an important issue could be undermined.
The task force was created by the legislature this year after a proposed state-run, mandated family and medical leave program failed to pass on a bipartisan basis due to concerns about costs and feasibility. Lawmakers decided more time was needed to thoughtfully study the issue and its impact on employees and employers and revised the bill into a task force that held its first meeting in July.
The Colorado Chamber applauded this approach and our members have been eager to provide input and explore alternatives to the program. Last session, we led a coalition of more than 80 public and private entities that raised concerns about the original FAMLI bill, representing a wide range of industries, thousands of businesses, all 272 cities and towns, and over 1 million workers statewide. Our primary goal has always been to strike a balance and ensure that any new government program is financially sound, allowing for flexibility to meet the individual needs of employees and businesses.
Read more at ColoradoPolitics.com.