Some of the highlights of the proposal are:

• The initial requirements are for employers to provide at least eight weeks of partially-paid leave, with the minimum eventually increasing to 12 weeks for employees to welcome a new child, deal with a serious illness in the family, or escape domestic violence.

• Unlike previous proposals, this year’s bill would rely on private insurance carriers to provide the mandated benefit rather than creating a government-run plan.

• At first, companies with 20 or more employees would be required to provide the benefit, but would later expand to companies with 10 or more employees.

• The current proposal requires the benefit to be offered to employees who have worked at a company for at least six months.

• Employers would be able to provide this benefit through a private insurance plan or by self-funding their own benefit.

• This bill is separate from Governor Polis’s simultaneous push to offer a similar benefit to state employees this year, which has faced skepticism from the legislature’s budget committee.

The main reason the bill is in jeopardy, is that it just lost two of its four sponsors this week. According to 9News, at least one of the sponsors dropping off issued a statement expressing concerned that the bill didn’t do enough to protect those working low-wage jobs that lack stability.

We’ll be watching this bill closely to see if it gets introduced, and if so, watching its progress as it moves through the Colorado legislature. If you would like to share your thoughts about the proposal, we encourage you to reach out to your legislator or provide public comment on the bill while it is being discussed in committee, should it get that far.

If you have any questions about how this bill could impact you, please reach out to your Fall River Client Manager!