The plan behind this petition, and what it would cost
Hello Caregivers and Caregiver Advocates!
Thank you to the 737 of you who have signed.
This petition supports two proposed Colorado bills, and this week I laid out how they fit together.
The FLEX Act, aimed at the 2027 session, would give employed caregivers a right to ask for a flexible arrangement and get a written answer on a set timeline. An employer could still say no for a real business reason, and asking couldn't be punished. The CARE Act, planned for 2029 to 2030, would add caregiver status to Colorado's anti-discrimination law.
I also looked at cost, using the closest precedents. Colorado's paid sick leave law was estimated to need about $298,000 and 3.5 staff a year for enforcement, based on about 480 complaints. Vermont has had a right-to-request law since 2014, created without an appropriation. The FLEX Act asks more than Vermont's law, and I'm not claiming it would be free. Its cost would depend on how many disputes it creates.
What I care about most is the record it would create: who asked, what they were told, and what happened next.
What you can do this week:
- Read the drafts at casiadvocacy.org and tell me what's missing.
- If you work and care for someone in Colorado, take the Caring Costs Survey, in English or Spanish: casiadvocacy.org/research
- Share this petition with one person who is doing both.
- Read and Listen to the Podcast of the full piece: [What Would It Cost to Let Caregivers Ask?]
Kindly and Gratefully,
Mark Fukae, CASI
En español: Gracias a las 737 personas que han firmado. Esta petición apoya dos proyectos de ley en Colorado. La Ley FLEX daría a quienes trabajan y cuidan a un familiar el derecho a pedir flexibilidad y a recibir una respuesta por escrito. La Ley CARE vendría después y protegería contra la discriminación. Esta semana expliqué cómo encajan y lo que costarían según los precedentes. Usted puede leer los borradores en casiadvocacy.org, completar la encuesta de CASI en español en casiadvocacy.org/research, y compartir esta petición.