While in Washington, D.C. recently, I learned that the next big hot button issue is paid family leave.

The issue is gaining momentum because state coffers are flush with unemployment insurance taxes, thanks to our booming economy. To many elected officials, those big pots of money are simply irresistible. They want to use the money to provide paid family leave for employees who need to care for a new baby, an adopted child or a sick relative.

Currently, federal and state laws require public and private-sector employers to provide up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave each year. When these laws were first proposed, activists discounted warnings from business groups that unpaid family leave would inevitably turn into paid family leave.

Well, it didn’t take long — the other shoe has dropped. Already, one federal legislator has reportedly proposed six weeks of paid family leave for postal workers and federal employees — and activists are moving to extend paid family leave to the private sector as well.

Don’t get me wrong. We’ve raised six children and it was difficult balancing family and work. Needless to say, there were times when I took vacation days and relied on understanding employers who granted me flex time to help with the children.

Could I have used family leave? You bet! Would it have been nice to get paid for my time off? Of course! But in at least one case, mandating paid family leave would have meant no job at all — the small non-profit organization I worked for simply could not have afforded to pay for sick leave, vacation, holidays and family leave.

Counting vacation time, sick leave and holiday pay, most American businesses already provide five weeks of paid leave. Add 12 additional weeks of paid family leave, and employers will be paying workers for up to four months off the job — not to mention the salary costs for replacement workers.

And what happens when the economy takes a downturn, and we’ve spent all the unemployment taxes on family leave, leaving no money for laid off workers? “Well,” you might say, “most European countries already have generous leave policies.” Correct. And their unemployment rates are also two to three times higher than ours. That’s no coincidence. Requiring employers to double the cost of each job means they can afford to provide fewer jobs.

Do we really want to adopt that system? I don’t think so. Wouldn’t it be better to encourage people to work out their individual needs with their bosses? Employers want — and need — to keep good workers, and with current leave, vacation and sick day policies, I believe most job/family challenges can be worked out.

(Editor’s Note: Don Brunell is president of the Association of Washington Business, Washington state’s chamber of commerce. Visit AWB on the Web at www.awb.org.)