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Kinda fascinating: Colorado’s D-controlled Senate couldn’t coalesce around a paid family leave bill for the past two years. Now paid leave is on the ballot, and 18 D senators (whole caucus minus Ginal) just endorsed it. If 18 had backed the policy before, it’d be law by now.
The ballot measure to start a paid family leave program in Colorado is more progressive than the bills that stalled. The state Senate could barely agree on a watered-down paid leave bill just a few months ago, but now a majority of the chamber backs this bolder proposal. Bizarre.
So what's going on here? I think it's simple: Inside the Capitol, with a bill, these senators have to face lobbyists. Well-paid, savvy lobbyists. Family leave has been lobbied to death, with every little detail being a fight. And the Senate Ds very clearly couldn't overcome that.
But the thing is, paid family leave is actually really popular outside the Capitol. So now it's on the ballot, and politicians have to actually stand on one side or another. They can't haggle over the language, and they have to face their constituents, who mostly want this.
