Rep. Meltzer, having reserved the right to explain her protest against the passage of the bill, made the following statement:
"Mr. Speaker and members of the House:
HB 5261 amends the Payment of Fringe Benefits and Wage Act to require employers that provide leave time to an employee following the birth of a child to provide the same benefit to an employee who adopts a child under the age of five years old.
While this legislation is certainly well intentioned, the state should not mandate which benefits a business voluntarily chooses to offer its employees. This bill will take away control from business owners, and may actually discourage some from offering extra perks and incentives to employees.
Furthermore, this legislation would set a bad precedent of government interference; it is not a stretch to envision lawmakers in Lansing telling business owners how many vacation days they must provide.
For these reasons, I cannot support this bill at this time."