When the Senate GOP’s kill committee shot down a House Democratic bill last month mandating unpaid leave for workers in the private sector, they probably didn’t think they’d get another bite at the apple. You know, a chance to reconsider their opposition to such policies?

As it turns out, they are being given just such an opportunity — another leave proposal, approved just this morning by ruling House Democrats. Is it possible Senate Republicans will have a change of heart?

When pigs fly, of course. In fact, House Bill 1307, which faces one more procedural, roll-call vote in the House before heading through the looking glass to the Republican-run Senate, no doubt will strike the GOP as even more problematic. That’s to put it diplomatically.

Unlike the last leave bill they dispatched, this one, sponsored by Democratic state Rep. Faith Winter, of Westminster, mandates up to 12 weeks of paid leave and requires workers statewide to pick up the tab. The leave would apply to events including a serious health condition; caring for a newborn, an adopted child, or a child placed through foster care for the first year; and caring for a family member with a serious health condition.

If the legislation became law, each worker would pay a premium in the form of a payroll deduction that would not exceed 0.99 percent of taxable wages. The premium would go into an insurance pool to float the program. A worker who takes leave under the program would receive a percentage of his/her wages, not to exceed $1,000 a week.

House Democrats sent out a press release this morning lauding the bill’s progress and quoting Winter:

“…We have employees who are making the choice to be with their baby in the NICU, or to keep their paycheck. To be with a dying parent or to keep their paycheck. Or even to attend their own chemotherapy or to keep their paycheck. It’s time for us to catch up with the rest of the world and give workers paid family and medical leave for just the cost of a cup of coffee a week.”

The advocacy group 9to5’s Colorado director, Neha Mahajan, chimed in on the bill, echoing the sponsor’s sentiments:

“Family values don’t end at the workplace door. We all have a stake in providing a healthy start for children. Those who aren’t parents have parents or partners or other loved ones who may need care, or may themselves need time to heal.

Winter added, “This program also reflects the needs of our small businesses and entrepreneurs — it’s innovative, it’s smart, and it helps us maintain our competitive edge.”

Innovative and smart, or not, it’s toast in the Senate. The likes of business-community heavyweight Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry opposes the measure — and has a lot more clout among Republicans.

No official word from the Senate GOP yet, of course, but if this press release from their House GOP counterparts earlier this month is any indicator, well…

“Forcing all working Coloradans to pay a fee to support a new entitlement program is a new tax plain and simple…But what’s even more concerning than circumventing (the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights), is this bill gives one person the authority to increase fees as needed — and with what we’ve seen from other government programs like Medicaid, there’s no telling how much more taxpayer money this new program will need to stay solvent.”

That official statement was attributed to Rep. Dan Nordberg, R-Colorado Springs; it might as well be the epitaph for the bill.