[S]peaker of the House Mitzi Johnson has asked Senate leader Tim Ashe in a letter to either pick from a range of compromise proposals on paid family leave and minimum wage, or finish up the legislative session on Friday.
“At this point, we seem to be at an impasse,” Johnson wrote to Ashe, before laying out five compromise proposals put forward by the House.
“Given the late date and upcoming holiday weekend, we need a decision by noon today on which one of these proposals you accept,” Johnson wrote. “It’s time to wrap up and go home.”
Some of the five proposals are similar to a deal being discussed by leadership on Thursday, which would have reached a $12.25 minimum wage within two years, and made the personal portion of the paid leave bill voluntary.
The Senate wants minimum wage to hit $12.50 by 2021. The House wants the paid leave program to offer workers more generous benefits than under the plan backed by the Senate.
In particular, Johnson wants to see a paid leave program that gives workers the option to take time off for personal injuries, to offer additional weeks off to take care of newborn children or sick family members.
She said that the House is unwilling to accept the Senate’s minimum wage proposal while making “significant concession on Paid Family Leave.” The House is more concerned than the Senate about the economic pressures a higher minimum wage could place on small businesses in rural communities.
The Senate’s latest “compromise” amendment, hitting $12.50 in two years, would actually accelerate the timeline in its original bill. The Senate’s paid leave bill stripped out paid time off for personal injuries, and reduced the number of weeks workers can take off to care for sick family members, or newborn children.
Ashe said he hadn’t seen Johnson’s letter after the Senate broke for lunch at about 11:30 a.m. on Friday. He refused to answer any questions about the ultimatum and said he would speak with reporters later in the day.
House Republicans have said they will suspend rules on the must-pass bills, such as the revenue and budget bills, but will not suspend rules on minimum wage and paid leave, which would force the session to spill over into another day.
The House came back into session at 11:45 a.m., at which point Johnson asked for a moment of silence, hoping that “collective thought matters.”
As of 1:30 p.m., there was no sign that Ashe had responded to Johnson’s request. Both chambers were expected to come back into session between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.
