Rep. Christine Chandler (D-Los Alamos) and other representative, console each other after Senate Bill 3, the Paid Family Medical Leave Act, failed to pass during a vote on the House Floor, Wednesday, February 14, 2024. (Photo by Eddie Moore / Albuquerque Journal)
A guarantee of paid family and medical leave for New Mexico workers died on Wednesday by a single vote.
After just over three hours of debate, the House of Representatives voted 34-36 on Senate Bill 3 . Eleven Democrats joined with every Republican to vote against the bill that passed the Senate chamber 25-15 on Feb. 9 .
Rep. Christine Chandler (D-Los Alamos) carried the proposal in the House. She said it would have created a benefits program which would have supported parents, working families, people with sick relatives and small business owners.
The bill would have made small businesses more competitive with larger ones, she said, and would attract more people into the workforce.
Co-sponsor Rep. Linda Serrato (D-Santa Fe) said SB 3 would have brought more people into New Mexico’s workforce including chronically ill people, result in workers taking fewer sick days, and protect the economy during COVID surges.