Last week, the Senate passed an amendment to the Senate budget to expand access to paid sick days, 61 – 39.
The amendment would allow workers to earn up to seven paid sick days yearly, according to the sponsor, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), and is modeled after the Healthy Families Act (S 497). “I am thrilled that the Senate showed strong support today for expanding access to paid sick days and giving more families some much-needed economic stability. No worker should have to sacrifice a day’s pay, or their job altogether, just to take care of themselves or their sick child,” explained Senator Murray.
From our Hill Sources: Since budget resolutions are not binding, this doesn’t mean that paid sick days will become law, but it’s a symbolic first step to have Senators on the record as supporting this issue. And this may be the work-and-family issue that gets attention as we near a Presidential campaign season. Fourteen Republican Senators voted for the paid sick days amendment, including Sens. Pat Toomey (R-PA), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Lamar Alexander (R-TX), Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Bob Corker (R-TN), Lisa Murkowski (R-AL), John McCain (R-AZ), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), John Hoeven (R-ND), Mark Kirk (R-IL), Rob Portman (R-OH) and John Thune (R-SD).
Work and Family Legislation in Congress
The last significant federal expansion of leave was the Family and Medical Leave Act, which was passed by Congress in 1993, and allows workers to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for medical reasons, to care for a seriously ill family member or for the birth of a child. Since then, lawmakers have proposed legislation to guarantee paid time off and more flexibility of work hours.
Healthy Families Act (S 497 and HR 932 in the House)
Sponsors: Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) “Would allow workers to earn paid sick leave to use when they are sick, to care for a sick family member, to obtain preventive care, or to address the impacts of domestic violence, stalking or sexual assault,” according to the bill sponsors. “Would allow workers in businesses with at least 15 employees to earn up to 56 hours or seven days of job-protected paid sick leave each year. Workers would earn one hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked.” (Read bill text)
Family and Medical Insurance Leave Act (or FAMILY Act) (HR 1439 and S 786 in the Senate)
Sponsors: Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) ”Would create an independent trust fund within the Social Security Administration to collect fees and provide benefits. This trust would be funded by employee and employer contributions of 0.2 percent of wages each, creating a self-sufficient program that would not add to the federal budget. Benefit levels, based on existing successful state programs in New Jersey and California, would equal 66 percent of an individual’s typical monthly wages up to a capped monthly amount that would be indexed for inflation,” according to bill sponsors. (Read bill text)
Flexibility for Working Families Act (HR 1450 and S 777 in the Senate)
Sponsors: Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) “Would ensure that workers have the right to request a flexible work arrangement without fear of retribution,” according to bill sponsors. “Workers could request temporary or permanent changes to: The number of hours the employee is required to work; The times when the employee is required to work or be on notice; Where the employee is required to work; Notifications of schedule assignments.” (Read bill text)
Family Friendly and Workplace Flexibility Act (S 803)
Sponsor: Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) “Would allow voluntary workplace arrangements such as compensatory time and flexible credit hour agreements to be extended to hourly workers in the private sector,” according to the bill sponsors. “The bill would amend the FLSA to allow private employers to offer comp time to employees at a rate of one-and-one-half hours for every hour of overtime work. A completely voluntary process, an employee could still choose to receive monetary payments as their overtime compensation. This bill simply allows the option for employees to instead choose paid time off for overtime work.” (Read bill text)
Working Families Flexibility Act (S 233 and HR 465 in the House)
Sponsors: Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Rep. Martha Roby (R-AL) Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to authorize private employers to provide compensatory time off to private employees at a rate of 1 1/2 hours per hour of employment for which overtime compensation is required. Authorizes an employer to provide compensatory time only if it is in accordance with an applicable collective bargaining agreement or, in the absence of such an agreement, an agreement between the employer and employee. (Read bill text)
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