Democrats will take a third shot at restoring up to six hours a month of unpaid parental leave for school activities when the session starts Jan. 11.

Rep. Janet Buckner of Aurora carried the bill in the last session. She was finishing the term of her  husband, John Buckner, the renowned high school principal who passed away in 2015. Parental leave was the second bill Democrats filed in the House, symbolically, last year, following pay equity for women.

Buckner was elected to a full term in November.

“I’m running it again because teachers are telling me that they want the parents to be more involved, she told the Aurora Sentinel last week. “So if they feel like they can leave without fear of being let go from their job, maybe they’ll come to more conferences.”

Last year’s bill passed the House with the unanimous support of Democrats and one Republican, Rep. Kit Roupe of Colorado Springs. Roupe lost her re-election to Tony Exum Sr. in November.

Lawmakers passed parental leave in 2009 with a five-year sunset provision. They failed to re-enact it in 2015.

Republicans characterized it as a government intrusion. “Companies can do this already,” Rep. Tim Dore of Elizabeth told Chalkbeat Colorado in February.

The legislation also produced two of the more interesting moments of the  session.

Rep. Kevin Priola asked a House committee to delay the bill, so he could take take his kid to the doctor. When he returned, he voted against the leave bill.

ProgressNow Colorado and other liberals called it hypocrisy. Republicans countered that it proved their point. A deal can be struck between a good worker and his boss.

Priola went on to win a Senate seat in November, preserving the one-seat GOP majority.

But things got even stranger when the leave bill reached the Senate.

Sen. Andy Kerr of Lakewood presented it to the State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee, as the “kill committee,” because that’s where the Republican majority sends bills to die.

The date was March 9, the same day Denver Broncos’ heir apparent at quarterback, Brock Osweiler, signed a $72 million contract with the Houston Texans.

“I just got a text from a reporter who is investigating the reason why, and he said he was not willing to risk raising his kids in a state that did not have a strong parental leave program in place,” Kerr told the committee sparking a room full of chuckles.

“I’m not sure if the ink is quite dry on his deal yet, but we have a chance to make a difference and continue the Broncos’ domination for next year and for years to come.”

Committee chairman Ray Scott of Grand Junction interjected, “I actually thought he was kind of lanky and, you know, kind of slow.”

Kerr sniped back, “Being slow didn’t seem to hurt our former quarterback.”

The bill died on the 3-2 party line vote.

The Broncos were just three weeks removed from a Super Bowl then. As of last weekend they were are out of the contention for the playoffs, because of an anemic offense. Osweiler was benched this month for being kind of lanky and, you know, kind of slow.