DENVER (AP) - Colorado Gov. Jared Polis announced that state employees who have worked for the government for at least a year will soon be eligible for up to two weeks of paid family medical leave.
The program was announced Monday and is scheduled to launch in January, providing workers with 80 hours to use to recover from illness, care for a new child or look after a loved one, The Denver Post reported.
“One of the core values of my administration is supporting families,” said Polis, a Democrat. “I am proud to say that paid leave will now be a reality for state employees, many of whom have worked day and night during this past year.”
Joint Budget Committee Chair and Democratic state Sen. Dominick Moreno said the move is “just a bridge” until the paid family and medical leave program is fully implemented.
Colorado voters approved a paid family and medical leave program in November for all workers for up to 12 weeks, but that doesn’t go into full effect until 2024. State employees will be able to access two weeks of paid leave until the expansion in 2024.
Polis previously tried to get the Joint Budget Committee to approve a more extensive eight-week leave program, but it was rejected in March because of concerns the governor didn’t have authority to institute the program.
Polis argued that his office has the authority to approve the program through the Department of Personnel and Administration and is awaiting further analysis from the Colorado attorney general’s office.
Hilary Glasgow, executive director of the state employees’ union Colorado WINS, called the new program a “step in the right direction” as the group looks to negotiate its first contract with the state.
“Expanded benefits for the people that stand on the front lines of the COVID response, no matter the color of their skin or the size of their paychecks, gets to the heart of Colorado WINS’ partnership with the state,” she said.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.