Paid family leave is in trouble in the Colorado Senate. Democrats hope changes will turn it around.

A pair of state senators will offer a rewrite of legislation that would create a family leave insurance fund for Colorado workers after the original proposal was met with fierce backlash from business leaders and failed to win over the support of key Democrats.

State Sens. Angela Williams and Faith Winter, the bill’s sponsors, will unveil what they call “earth-moving” changes that push back the rollout of the program to 2023, create an opt-out option for local governments and employers that offer equivalent benefits and protections, and drop job security for seasonal workers.

And yet, the changes do not appear to be enough to win over some of the state’s most influential business leaders, including chambers of commerce, retailers and farmers who claim the bill is too complex, goes beyond federal standards and will disproportionately hurt small businesses.

Unchanged is the heart of the bill: that every employee who works at least 680 hours during a year and contributes to the fund will be covered.

Read more: https://www.denverpost.com/2019/04/05/colorado-paid-family-leave-overhaul/