HB 17-1307

HB 17-1307, also known as the Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program Wage Replacement bill, establishes a program that allows workers in Colorado to receive partial wage replacement when they need time off for family or medical reasons. Employees will pay into this fund through premiums deducted from their wages, with employers not required to contribute. The program aims to help individuals who take leave to care for a new child, a seriously ill family member, or due to their own serious health condition. Since the bill has been signed, it is now law and its provisions are being implemented by the Department of Labor and Employment.

Official Summary

The bill creates the family and medical leave insurance (FAMLI) program in the division of family and medical leave insurance (division) in the department of labor and employment (department) to provide partial wage-replacement benefits to an eligible individual who takes leave from work to care for a new child or a family member with a serious health condition or who is unable to work due to the individual's own serious health condition. Each employee in the state will pay a premium determined by the director of the division by rule, which premium is based on a percentage of the employee's yearly wages and must not exceed .99%. The premiums are deposited into the family and medical leave insurance fund from which family and medical leave benefits are paid to eligible individuals. The director may also impose a solvency surcharge by rule if determined necessary to ensure the soundness of the fund. The division is established as an enterprise, and premiums paid into the fund are not considered state revenues for purposes of the taxpayer's bill of rights (TABOR). (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

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