Colorado Lawmaker Leave Bill Shifts the Cost to Employers

The Colorado legislature has discovered a brand-new victim class: itself.

Colorado Politics reports that Senate Bill 087 would require employers to give unpaid leave to employees who serve in the General Assembly during regular and special sessions. The bill passed the House 33-31, after clearing the Senate 23-11, and now heads to the governor. Sponsors say it will help more working-class people serve. Critics say the obvious: being a legislator is public service, which by definition involves some sacrifice. Rep. Ava Flanell got it exactly right when she said the job is “not meant to be easy.”

• Senate Bill 087 requires unpaid leave for lawmakers
• The House passed it 33-31
• The Senate passed it 23-11
• The bill now heads to the governor
• Employers would carry the burden during session

And that is the whole scam in one neat little package. These people are not asking taxpayers to pay them more directly this time. They are asking private employers to subsidize the legislature by holding jobs open for politicians while those politicians disappear to Denver for four months and maybe special sessions besides. Same burden, different victim. The state creates the inconvenience, then orders somebody else to eat it.

They wrap this in the usual moral tissue paper about “diversity” and “representation.” We are told the Capitol needs more teachers, firefighters, county employees, caregivers, and hourly workers. Fine. In a perfect world, more kinds of people would serve. But the answer to that is not forcing employers to become auxiliary HR departments for the citizen legislature. The answer is either pay lawmakers honestly and make the case to voters, or accept that part-time public service comes with tradeoffs. What you do not get to do is sneak the cost onto businesses and call yourself noble.

And let’s enjoy the comparison they tried. One sponsor said employers already provide leave for military service and jury duty, so why not legislative service? Because being drafted for a jury is not the same as choosing to run for office, and getting deployed is not the same as deciding you would like a vote on the House calendar. One is compulsory civic obligation. The other is ambition. Those are not remotely the same thing unless your ego has already swallowed the rotunda.

The article also notes lawmakers already make roughly $44,000 to $47,500, plus per diem and mileage, for a 120-day session. Is that generous? No. Is it family-supporting money in every case? Also no. But again: this is public service. It is not supposed to function like a protected employment benefit wrapped in a self-esteem seminar. If lawmakers want this to be a full-time career with full-time protections, then say that out loud and let the public decide whether they want a professional legislature. Stop pretending this is just a tiny fairness tweak.

This bill is dumb in the especially insulting way Colorado specializes in. The people who regulate everyone else’s workplace have now decided your workplace must bend to protect their jobs too. The Gold Dome never met a burden it wouldn’t shift downhill.

Source: Colorado Politics