Paid Household & Medical Depart Act Passes Home Committee – Los Alamos Reporter
HOUSE DEMOCRAT NEWS
Ensures that New Mexicans can recover from medical procedures and newborn childcare without endangering their financial security
Legislation to create a paid family and sick leave system available to all state workers was passed in the House’s Trade and Economic Development Committee on Monday.
The Paid Family and Sick Leave Act, sponsored by Representatives Christine Chandler (D – Los Alamos), Patricia Roybal Caballero (D – Albuquerque), and Linda Serrato (D – Santa Fe), ensures paid leave for workers with health emergencies For example, cancer, intensive surgery or serious injuries, and new parents, so they have free time to care for and spend time with their newborn child.
After applying for vacation, individuals receive remuneration for the duration of the required vacation up to 12 weeks, which corresponds to their current wages. The United States is the only developed nation in the world that does not have a national paid and family medical vacation program.
“If we give people the time to recover from illness or medical intervention, to bond with a newborn child or to help a sick loved one, it will have a tremendous impact on New Mexicans’ lives, wellbeing and have our children’s development. and the health of our economy as a whole, “said Rep. Christine Chandler. “Right now, many workers in New Mexico, mostly low-wage workers, do not have access to vacation and often lose their jobs when a life event requires time to work.”
“A hardworking person shouldn’t lose his or her job caring for a loved one or is personally ill, and parents in New Mexico should be able to safely make time with their newborns,” said Rep. Patricia Roybal Caballero. “This legislation will benefit our working parents and has the potential to significantly reduce the poverty rate in New Mexico.”
“HB 38 is vital to our families and workers and also creates a level playing field in business,” said MP Linda Serrato. “Today, many small businesses cannot give their employees paid family and sick leave even if they agree to the idea, as it would be too expensive to do on their own. By providing family vacations and medical vacations for every new Mexican, our small businesses are on par with larger competitors. “
House Bill 38 passed the House Commerce and Economic Development Committee with a non-partisan 7-3 vote and will next be heard by the House Judiciary 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 entire state with 0.05% wage contributions from employees and 0.04% wages from employers. The structure is based on successful programs in other states and is designed to ensure that small businesses and low-wage workers can make small payments into the system while being entitled to the full benefits it offers.
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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