Progressive States Network, a formidible organization spearheading a number of employment-related issues at state and local levels, reports that the District of Columbia has approved a measure to require employers to provide paid sick leave on the following scale:

• seven days of paid leave at firms with 100 employees
• five days at firms with 25-99 employees
• three days in firms with 24 or less employees
• a pro-rated amount of sick days off for part-time workers

The organization also reports that the New Jersey State Senate has passed a measure that would:

authorize six weeks of paid family leave during any 12-month period to allow employees to care for an ill family member, newborn or recently adopted child. Employees would receive two-thirds of their regular weekly pay, up to $524 per week. The leave would be funded through contributions made by all employees in the state of 0.14% of earned wages (roughly a quarter per week for minimum wage workers) into the State Disability Fund; the Fund would then distribute the funds to an estimated 38,000 people per year once the system is up and running.

These efforts follow the organization's success in helping pass a paid sick leave ordinance in San Francisco and, of course, compliment the broader efforts to pass the Healthy Families Act on a national level.

See also:  Paid Sick Leave

More than one commentator, including our friend Kris Dunn, has expressed concern that the bill may require employers who currently provide significant paid time off to grant 7 additional paid sick days. This concern comes from section 5(g)(2) of the bill, which states:

An employer may not eliminate, reduce, or redesignate any leave in existence on the date of enactment of this Act in order to comply with the provisions of this Act.

That concern is probably unnecessary. Section 5(g)(1) seems to make it clear that additional days are not required:

An employer with a leave policy providing paid leave options shall not be required to modify such policy, if such policy includes provisions for the provision, use, and administration of paid sick leave that meet the requirements of subsections (a) through (f).

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Progressive States Network, a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide “coordinated research and strategic advocacy tools to state legislators and their staffs, empowering these decision-makers with everything they need to engineer forward-thinking change,” has published an update on state initiatives on family leave and paid sick leave. It’s an excellent summary of regulatory efforts on the state level.. It’s an excellent summary of regulatory efforts on the state level.

In addition to actions at the federal level to enact the "Healthy Families Act," there have been numerous efforts at state and local levels to mandate paid sick leave.

In November 2006, voters in San Francisco approved a ballot measure that requires employers to provide paid sick leave to employees in the city. The measure requires employers to give one hour of paid sick leave to an employee for every 30 hours worked. Employees are allowed to accrue up to 40 hours of paid sick leave if they work for a small employer (fewer than 10 employees). Employees of larger employers can accrue up to 72 hours. The ordinance allows employees to take the paid sick leave for their own illness or to provide care for an ill child, parent, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, spouse, or domestic partner. The law became effective February 5, 2007.

Paid sick leave advocates were not as successful in the state legislatures during 2007.

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On June 21, 2007, the House Workforce Protections Subcommittee held a hearing entitled: "Balancing Work and Family: What Policies Best Support America's Families?" The hearing focuses on a number of issues, including the Healthy Families Act. Details, including streaming video and witness statements are available HERE.

On Feburary 13, 2007 the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee conducted a hearing entitled "The Healthy Families Act: Safeguarding Americans' Livelihood, Families and Health with Paid Sick Days."   Details, including streaming video and witness statements, are available HERE.