Paid Household & Medical Depart Act Passes Home Committee – Los Alamos Reporter
HOUSE DEMOCRAT NEWS
Legislation to create a paid family and sick leave system available to all workers in the state was passed by the House Judiciary Committee on Saturday.
Sponsored by representatives Christine Chandler (D-Los Alamos), Patricia Roybal Caballero (D-Albuquerque) and Linda Serrato (D-Santa Fe), House Bill 38: The Law on Paid Family and Sick Leave ensures paid leave for workers with health problems Emergencies such as cancer, intensive surgery or serious injuries, and new parents, so that they can be free to care for and spend time with their newborn or adopted child.
After applying for leave, individuals will receive remuneration equal to their current wages for the duration of the required leave of up to 12 weeks. The United States is the only developed nation in the world that does not have a national paid family and sick leave program.
“This is a good business account. Helping workers on paid family vacations to recover from an illness or medical procedure, bond with a new child, or help a sick loved one will reduce sales and make hardworking New Mexicans more productive, ” said Rep. Christine Chandler. “In reshaping our economy, we must prioritize our working families and their long-term well-being. Paid medical family leave helps ensure the economic stability of our working families, and delaying implementation by three years supports our businesses struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic. “
“Each year, 53 million Americans care for family members unpaid while maintaining full-time employment, but the vast majority do not have access to paid family vacations,” said Rep. Roybal Caballero. “I firmly believe the time is now, and it is urgent, to pay for a family vacation in New Mexico. A hardworking person should not lose his or her job caring for a loved one or facing serious injury or illness personally. Parents in New Mexico should definitely be able to spend time with their new children. This legislation will help our working parents and support healthy families. “
“By providing family vacations and medical vacations for every new Mexican, our small businesses are on par with bigger competitors,” said Rep. Linda Serrato. “The pandemic has shown the importance of working families to pay for paid family vacation and I am proud that this law is passed today.”
House Bill 38 passed the House Justice Committee 8-2 and will stand alongside the House Funds Committee.
The program is funded by a newly created Family and Sick Leave Trust Fund, which all employees and employers in New Mexico would pay at a low rate. These contributions would be distributed across the state at 0.05% wage contributions from employees and 0.04% wage contributions from employers. House Bill 38 also includes a three year delayed implementation to give employers some recovery time from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Members of the public can follow the legislation on the New Mexico Legislature website, access committee meetings and House Floor meetings through the Webcasts tab, or attend from Zoom to provide public comments on committee hearings. During the 2021 legislative session, the House of Representatives will focus on passing critical laws while protecting the health and safety of the public, staff and lawmakers.
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