On May 18, 2009, Representative Rosa L. DeLauro (D-CT) introduced the Healthy Families Act of 2009 (H.R. 2460) in the House of Representatives. The bill is similar to a proposal she sponsored in March 2007 (H.R. 1542). The legislation faced stiff opposition from Republicans and stalled in the House and Senate. At the time, President George W. Bush threatened to veto the bill if enacted by Congress.
The current bill would require employers with more than 15 employees to provide workers with up to 56 hours of paid sick leave each year. Under the bill, workers would accrue paid sick leave at the rate of one hour for every 30 hours worked, could begin using the paid sick leave after 60 days of employment, and could roll over unused sick leave into the next calendar year.
In a written statement, DeLauro stated, “Every worker should have paid sick days; it is a matter of right and wrong. Being a working parent should not mean choosing between your job, taking care of yourself, and taking care of your family. With the H1N1 outbreak, countless public health officials urged people to follow a simple guideline: If you get sick, stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them. Yet for many Americans, following this sound advice is impossible.”
The reintroduced legislation, with its 101 co-sponsors in the House, could gain traction. President Barack Obama has stated that he supports the proposal and would sign the bill. Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) is expected to introduce a Senate version of the bill soon.
Three advocacy groups—the National Partnership for Women and Families, the Fairness Initiative on Low-Wage Worker and the National Association of Working Women—have called upon Congress to pass the bill.
The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) is proposing alternative legislation. SHRM has proposed a comprehensive public policy outlining a new set of workplace flexibility principles. According to Michael Aitken, SHRM’s director of government affairs, the principles will offer a new approach to federal leave policy by encouraging employers to provide paid leave voluntarily in exchange for no longer being encumbered by certain complex federal rules. According to the SHRM website, it opposes rigid government-imposed mandates on employers. Employer groups voiced their opposition to H.R. 2460, claiming that the bill could further hurt employers that are struggling to survive in a rocky economic climate.
Paid sick leave legislation has been passed in three cities—San Francisco, CA,
Washington, D.C. and Milwaukee, WI—and is being introduced in Philadelphia, PA and New York City, NY. Paid leave bills are also pending in some states, including Connecticut and Massachusetts.
Related posts:
