Family Leave Act could be a lifesaver for many

The Family Leave Act would be a vital program for so many Coloradans.

But — and this is big — timeliness, efficiency and safeguards against fraud and corruption (on both the administration’s and public’s part) need to be carefully written into the legislation.

There needs to be a cap of administrative costs and strict regulations regarding exactly what the administrative money can be used for. There needs to be hard deadlines for quick distribution of the funds to those who are eligible.

There needs to be an uncomplicated, yet easily verifiable, application to file a claim.

I think of the Food Stamps fiasco in Denver some years ago, when applications fell very far behind and people suffered because of Denver Human Service’s gross inefficiency.

These programs are only as good as the agencies administering them. Cynthia Stone, Denver

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When my son was born, I was working for a child abuse prevention non-profit where I taught parents and teachers about the importance of bonding with children in the first few years of their lives. This felt somewhat ironic since I only had 12 weeks of unpaid parental leave to bond with my son. While I applied all my vacation and sick days to my leave and received some disability pay, I was still left with six weeks of unpaid leave. As a middle-class family, my husband and I were not completely debilitated by this financial burden, but many families in Colorado are not as fortunate.

As parents, we should not have to choose between caring for a newborn child and returning to work for fear of losing our jobs or not being able to pay the bills. Bonding with our newborns, which studies show is crucial for development and health, should be our main priority.

The Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) Act would help working families like mine by guaranteeing paid family and medical leave. Following this week’s hearing on the bill, we need our state Senate to now pass this critical bill so Coloradans can have the time necessary to bond with a newborn child, as well as care for their own serious illness or that of a family member. Natalie Henderson, Louisville