Paid Family and Medical Leave Bill: Dangerous

So last week I wrote about my sense of the economy. If you missed it, I think it’s a worthwhile read – check it out!
 
What’s on my mind this week? The proposed paid family leave mandate. Amanda has talked about the Paid Family and Medical Leave bills (HF 2/SF 2) in several past editions her Advocacy News. This legislative session is moving uncharacteristically quickly, so the time is now to express your concern with the expansiveness and cost of this proposal. (See attached letter we have shared with the relevant committees.) You can find your legislator here. The Minnesota Chamber has put together an excellent fact sheet on the legislation, along with additional resources you can use in your outreach.
 
To make it personal: as we face a $18B surplus, your Chamber would be paying additional $16,800 in payroll taxes in 2023. Try this yourself find out here how your organization would be impacted.
 
To my mind, the issue isn’t the value proposition of paid leave to care for family or recover from illness. I have two significant issues with this proposed legislation. First: this is a “mandate” rather than an “incentive,” and employers are in the best position to design benefits packages that serve the distinct needs of their employees.  This will be devastating to small business. Second: the tails.  Using one-time surplus to initiate programs with ongoing budgetary commitments is a dangerous game, especially at a time when business is bracing for an economic slowdown.
 
The Minnesota Chamber is hosting a free, virtual town hall to answer questions on the Paid Family and Medical Leave proposal on Tuesday, February 7 from 12-12:30 pm. You can register here.
 
We can’t sit on the sideline for this one. This is a real opportunity where your voice can make a difference.
 
On another note: we are promoting a few surveys right now – your input is critical! Each should take no longer than 10 minutes, and answers will remain anonymous. :

1. We want your feedback on the City of St. Paul's proposal to increase the sales tax by 1% to fund street and park improvements. You can access the short survey here.  Your response will inform our thinking so please let us know what you think!
2. We are partnering with Greater MSP on a supplier diversity study, ultimately to help increase corporate contracts with local suppliers: one is focused on local suppliers and understanding their procurement challenges/needs, the other is focused on understanding the needs of large corporate buyers. Deadline is Friday, February 10. If you’re a corporate buyer or a local supplier, we want to hear from you! The deadline to complete the survey is February 10. Click here to begin the survey.
   1. Local suppliers should complete this survey.  
   2. Corporate buyers operating in the MSP region should complete this survey (multiple responses from the same organization are welcome as it provides data from different departments).
3. Attention members! Please take this 7-minute survey to help the Minneapolis Fed and local partners understand the impact that the economy is having on your business. We'll share results with you once the survey is closed. 
4. Small Business Survey link here.