I would urge you to watch, but not endorse HB6.  That’s the paid family and medical leave act.  That’s the sort of legislation that we support in spirit, but in Bernalillo County is has had expensive consequences.

Bernalillo County already has a version of the family and medical leave act. It was set up as a means of attracting employees to government jobs because it is a substantial benefit. The county is seeking to amend the bill so it has definite limits on how frequently an employee can use the act over years of employment. The county version of the act sets limits. The state version does not. The county is seeking to add an opt out clause because Bernalillo wants better control of this particular benefit.

In a report to the county commission, the Bernalillo County Manager explained that in FY22, the county’s Metropolitan Detention Center racked up 134,000 hours of paid leave. Because corrections is a 23/7 operation, other employees had to take up the slack in the form of overtime. That cost $1.8 million dollars. This is just one department in Bernalillo County. Smaller cities and counties will find it hard to budget for this kind of unpredictable expense, especially if the employee is in a critical job that would require hiring a temporary replacement or diverting employees doing other work.

This bill also does not designate how often an employee can apply for leave. Does this mean employees with chronic conditions could reply repeatedly for leave? That’s not clear.

Our general policy is to study positions before we take them. On this bill, I don’t think we have seriously looked at the long term implications for cities and counties and at the potential expense for the public. That is why I urge caution on supporting this bill.

Karen Wentworth

Central New Mexico League