HOUSE MEMORIAL 4

53rd legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2018

INTRODUCED BY

Daymon Ely

A MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE PARENTAL PAID-LEAVE WORKING GROUP TO CONTINUE THE EFFORTS MADE PURSUANT TO HOUSE HEALTH COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR HOUSE MEMORIAL 2 FROM THE FIRST SESSION OF THE FIFTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE TOWARD THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A PARENTAL PAID-LEAVE PROGRAM FOR NEW MEXICO BEGINNING IN 2020.

     WHEREAS, House Health Committee Substitute for House Memorial 2 from the first session of the fifty-second legislature in 2015 noted that:

          A. paid family-leave programs provide substantial benefits to children and the families of children; and

          B. other states with a paid-family leave program have improved levels of job retention and employee loyalty and morale without increases in costs; and

     WHEREAS, House Health Committee Substitute for House Memorial 2 provided for the convening of a parental paid-leave working group of experts in child and family development, business, law and public finance and administration, with the executive director of the southwest women's law center as its chair, to make findings and develop recommendations for the establishment of a publicly managed parental paid-leave program in New Mexico for both the public and private sectors; and

     WHEREAS, in October 2016, the family-friendly workplace task force presented its findings and recommendations to the legislative health and human services committee; and

     WHEREAS, the task force found that, at that time, four states had paid-family-leave laws, and an additional fifteen states were considering the creation of paid-family-leave programs; and

     WHEREAS, the task force proposed at that time an outline of a New Mexico program that would provide employee contributions to a fund and reimbursement from that fund of a portion of an employee's salary when the employee takes up to twelve weeks of unpaid leave from employment for a seriously ill family member or for bonding with a newborn child, newly adopted child or newly placed foster child;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the parental paid-leave working group be requested to continue to develop recommendations for the establishment of a parental paid-leave and paid family- and medical-leave program to provide the data necessary for establishing a parental paid-leave and paid family- and medical-leave program for New Mexico; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the executive director of the southwest women's law center be requested to continue to serve as the chair of the parental paid-leave working group and to convene the working group; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the parental paid-leave working group be requested to make findings and develop recommendations for the establishment of a publicly managed parenting workers' leave fund that can be accessed by both private and public employees and employers; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the parental paid-leave working group continue to develop recommendations as to the state agency that should manage the parental paid-leave program; and

      BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the parental paid-leave working group make recommendations on the implementation of a parental paid-leave and paid family- and medical-leave program over a three-year period, beginning in July 2020, with implementation of a pilot program in the public sector in year one of the program, full implementation of the program in the public sector in year two of the program and a phase-in of the private sector in year three of the program; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the parental paid-leave working group present its recommendations to the legislative health and human services committee prior to December 31, 2018 for approval of the pilot program in the public sector that can be voted upon during the first session of the fifty-fourth legislature in 2019; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to:

          A. the governor;

          B. the secretary of children, youth and families;

          C. the secretary of workforce solutions;

          D. the secretary of taxation and revenue;

          E. the state investment officer;

          F. the president of the university of New Mexico;

          G. the director of the bureau of business and

economic research at the university of New Mexico;

          H. the legislative health and human services committee staff;

          I. the legislative finance committee staff; and

          J. the executive directors of:

                (1) New Mexico voices for children;

                (2) New Mexico chambers of commerce;

                (3) the southwest women's law center;

                (4) the New Mexico pediatric society;

                (5) New Mexico women's agenda;

                (6) the New Mexico center on law and

poverty;

                (7) collective action strategies, limited liability company;

                (8) OLÉ;

                (9) el centro de igualdad y derechos;

                (10) encuentro New Mexico;

                (11) New Mexico comunidades en acción y de

fé;

                (12) the Albuquerque Hispano chamber of

commerce;

                (13) the Las Cruces Hispanic chamber of

commerce;

                (14) the African American chamber of

commerce of New Mexico;

                (15) the greater Albuquerque chamber of

commerce;

                (16) the greater Las Cruces chamber of

commerce;

                (17) the Santa Fe chamber of commerce;

                (18) the national association of women

business owners; and

                (19) the New Mexico association of commerce

and industry.

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