Advocating for Paid Leave for New Mexico Workers

AARP this year will again urge state lawmakers to pass legislation guaranteeing paid family and medical leave for New Mexico workers.

A measure that would have provided up to 12 weeks of paid leave for eligible employees passed the state Senate but not the state House last year.

“There is hopeful anticipation of getting it through this time,” says Othiamba Umi, AARP New Mexico’s advocacy director.

It’s important that paid leave is available not just for new parents but also for the state’s family caregivers, Umi says. “Many caregivers opt to leave the workforce because there aren’t resources that allow them to do both,” he says.

If employers were required to grant paid family medical leave, then caregivers could take the time they need to get a loved one through a serious illness without losing their job, he says.

Learn more about the paid leave legislation and follow its progress at aarp.org/nm.