Moments ago, the House Commerce and Economic Development Committee voted 6-5 to advance House Bill 11 to the House floor. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Christine Chandler (D-Los Alamos, Sandoval & Santa Fe), proposes paid family medical leave.

Terri Cole, president and CEO of the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce, expressed concerns about the bill's impact on small businesses in New Mexico. "Unfortunately, despite changes made to the bill, it remains costly and burdensome to New Mexico small businesses," Cole said. She highlighted that the bill would increase taxes on employees and employers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually and could lead to challenges in finding temporary replacements for employees on leave.

Cole also mentioned an alternative proposal, HB 446, sponsored by Rep. Rebbeca Dow (R-Doña Ana, Sierra & Socorro), which focuses solely on maternal and paternal leave without requiring a tax increase. "That bill would be easy to implement, less costly and business friendly," she said.

If passed by the House, HB 11 will proceed to the Senate for further deliberation.

More detailed coverage will be available in tonight’s Legislative RoundUp.

Stay tuned.

Information from this article can be found here.