I want to start this letter to the editor off by getting directly to the point: Republicans strongly support expanding access to paid family leave benefits. I believe paid time off to heal from childbirth and care for an ill loved one is absolutely critical, which is why I worked hard to bring Republicans to the table on this important issue. However, the state-managed proposal passing through the Legislature this year will do more harm than good. 

I know firsthand what it’s like to have to moonlight odd jobs while 9 months pregnant in order to afford unpaid time off to heal from childbirth. At the same time, I know that small companies, much like the one I was working at during the birth of my first child, are looking for a solution that won’t force them to shutter their doors. 

Like all my work in the Legislature, I looked for a meet-in-the-middle approach. I looked for a way to expand access to paid family leave benefits for those not currently covered, in a way that lets each organization design plans to fit the unique needs of their workforce. I offered an innovative collaboration between the private market and the State of Minnesota–an approach that allows small businesses to design unique plans for their employees and compete with the larger companies already offering generous paid family leave benefits. It passed out of the Minnesota Senate last year with tripartisan support.

Under the proposal passing this year, however, every worker and employer in the state will face a $3 billion tax hike. Yet the costs of this program are not limited to businesses, as the unfunded mandate on our local governments and school districts will lead to higher property taxes. 

I recently joined local businesses and the Stillwater School Superintendent to raise our concerns with the Democrat proposal for paid family and medical leave. Among them was Jodi Theis, owner of Paws Inn Essentials, a pet store in Waconia. Jodi highlighted why the massive new state program will harm entrepreneurship and small business growth across the state.

“Right now, we’re struggling to get employees, and then knowing the cost of training and getting people up to speed, could be up to $20,000 a year just by filling positions to be with us full and part-time. I’m here to ask things to slow down and put protections into place for small businesses.”

Worst of all, there is no promise that if you like your paid leave plan, you can keep it. Many Minnesotans with good benefits now will see them washed away and dumped into a state-run bureaucracy. For example, if your employer offers 8 weeks of time off with full pay, they will have to scrap that for twelve weeks off at partial pay, regardless of their employee’s preference. 

I believe this unique situation allows for a win-win. There is an opportunity to expand access to paid family leave benefits for those not currently covered, and to do it in a way that lifts up our small businesses, rather than crushing them. The one-size-fits-all approach to paid family and medical leave falls short of what Minnesotans deserve. It is critical that we provide our businesses with the needed flexibility to implement a paid family leave program that suits their business and the needs of their employees. We should be working together to ensure small businesses and their employees are successful.

There is a better way.

State Senator Julia Coleman