A bill that would extend parental and family leave benefits for New Mexicans passed its first test yesterday.
State representatives on the Democratic-led House Health and Human Services Committee voted along party lines, 6 to 4, to send it on for further committee consideration before a possible House floor vote.
The arguments aired out yesterday on HB-11, the Paid Family and Medical Leave Act echoed the debate positions when a similar measure was taken up last year.
That version passed the Senate but not the House.
Many members of the community who spoke against the bill during the public comment period were business owners or leaders of business associations.
Abby O’Connor, representing the New Mexico Cattle Growers Association, argued that required contributions from employers make the measure a non-starter.
“This will kill small businesses. We cannot go on with more taxes and regulations on top of the agriculture community," O'Connor said.
"Who do we expect to pick chilies and milk cows and go out and harvest our crops when our employees are out on leave? This bill really heavily relies on a skilled workforce, which we quite simply do not have in rural New Mexico.”
Two of the committee’s Republicans, Representatives Alan Martinez and Elaine Sena Cortez, questioned at length lead bill sponsor, Representative Chistine Chandler.
At times, their back and forth broke down over disagreements in terms, such as taxes and taxpayers.
Under the proposal’s mechanism for creating a fund, workers would contribute $5 of every one thousand they earn while employers would pay $4 for every one thousand dollars earned by eligible workers.
Several commenters supporting the bill spoke emotionally of the hardships they faced when raising children or when family members battled serious disease.
One of them, Deborah Condit, who owns Books on the Bosque, in Albuquerque, told the committee that after she looked at the formula closely, she concluded that the amount she would have to pay wouldn’t break her business.
"I have 10 of the most amazing employees. They're very, very smart people," Condit said.
"I cannot provide pay time off for them. If something comes up, I cannot afford it. And if there's a way for me as a small business owner to be able to provide that, sign me up.
"I did the number crunching on this. And for my payroll for the 10 employees, this would cost me a whopping $32 a month.”
The House Commerce and Economic Development Committee will take up the bill next.
