Repeal Obsolete Family & Medical Leave Study
SB25-271 repeals Part 3 of Article 13.3 of Title 8, Colorado Revised Statutes, which contains obsolete provisions created to study and prepare for a statewide paid family and medical leave program. The repealed provisions laid out a now-expired timeline for appointing a task force, obtaining expert and actuarial studies, collecting public comment, and producing recommendations for a future paid leave program. In effect, the bill removes a set of transitional planning statutes that were intended to support the development of paid family and medical leave legislation in a prior session.
The underlying repealed section described a detailed process for evaluating program design, including whether third-party administrators should help run the program, how premiums and claims would be handled, and what benefits, eligibility rules, wage replacement levels, and job protections should be included. It also established a family and medical leave implementation task force with representatives of workers, employers, insurers, labor, health advocacy, domestic violence organizations, higher education, and state agencies. The section further stated that the department could not implement any recommended plan unless the General Assembly later authorized implementation by bill.
The bill has a narrow legal effect: it removes an obsolete statutory framework from Colorado law rather than creating a new paid family and medical leave program. By repealing Part 3 of Article 13.3 of Title 8, it eliminates outdated deadlines, task force provisions, study requirements, and implementation authorization language that no longer serve an active purpose. The repeal affects the Department of Labor and Employment, the former task force structure, and any statutes that referenced the now-expired planning process, but it does not itself alter current benefit eligibility, payroll contributions, or leave rights.
The available voting history shows strong bipartisan support and no recorded opposition. The bill passed the Senate committee, Senate third reading, House committee, and House third reading unanimously, with all listed votes 6-0, 32-0, 11-0, and 65-0 respectively. That pattern suggests the measure was viewed as a routine housekeeping bill to clean up the statutes by removing outdated language rather than as a controversial policy change.
There is little evidence of substantive contention in the available record. Because the bill only repeals obsolete study and planning provisions, the likely point of agreement was that the prior framework had expired and no longer needed to remain in statute. Any broader debate about paid family and medical leave itself is not reflected in the provided materials; the bill does not reopen that policy question, and the unanimous votes indicate no visible disagreement over the repeal.