PARENTAL LEAVE & FUND

HB 446 creates New Mexico's first state-funded paid parental leave program, providing eligible workers with wage replacement to bond with a newborn, adopted child, or foster child. The bill establishes the "Supplemental Paid Parental Leave Fund" (funded through the Early Childhood Education and Care Fund) to pay applicants 60-70% of their wages for up to 12 weeks of leave. It directly affects most New Mexico employees and self-employed individuals (excluding railroad workers and certain others), administered by the Workforce Solutions Department. The program requires workers to apply through the department, with payments covering bonding time within 12 months of the child's arrival, and excludes employers already offering comparable benefits.