HARRISBURG, Pa. — "Workers, the point is, should not have to choose between their job and their health," said Governor Tom Wolf at a press conference in Harrisburg Monday morning.
He stood with lawmakers in support of Senate Bill 580 or the "Family Care Act." If the legislation is passed, it would establish a mandatory sick leave policy in Pennsylvania.
Employees would receive one hour of leave for every 30 hours they work which would be paid at the same rate as their hourly wage. Paid sick leave could be used to recover from an illness, such as COVID-19, for medical appointments, to care for a family member, or to seek help from abuse or violence.
As for funding, everyone employed in the Commonwealth would have to chip in a little more than half of a percentage point of their paycheck to finance it -- which means if you make $800 every two weeks, you would contribute just under 5 dollars into the program.
"If we adopt this policy, Pennsylvania will be one of the leaders in the nation in terms of thoughtful, responsible, meaningful, compassionate paid sick leave programs in the nation, and that's what we want," said Senator Vincent Hughes (D) who represents Philadelphia and Montgomery Counties.
Without paid sick leave, some lawmakers believe workers in Pennsylvania are left with two unfavorable options: Either go to work sick and possibly infect others or stay home and go without pay. They say neither are beneficial to employers.
"It's time for the legislature to fix this problem - which has been exposed during the pandemic," added Wolf.
Lawmakers say enacting a paid sick leave law would help an estimated 400,000 Pennsylvanians, particularly low-wage workers who are forced to work when ill, risking their health and the employees and customers around them. Providing paid sick leave would improve public health and help to prevent more people from getting sick.
Jason Gottesman, a spokesman for the House Republicans says not everyone agrees. Gottesman told FOX43 he believes lawmakers are using the pandemic as a way to push the legislation forward.
"We want to see people get back to work and money back into their pockets at the most basic level before we start talking about anything beyond that," said Gottesman during a Zoom interview. "This is the Governor's shutdown: 3.5 million people unemployed under his watch. He should be working with the general assembly to get those people back to work before he starts talking about this transformative and far reaching policy he wants to see."
"There is some bipartisan support," said Senator Hughes. "But they [republicans] control both chambers. We have real evidence over the last 6-7 months why this is important."
Lawmakers say the bill will be considered this fall, but it's evident it will not be without some opposition.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 13 states and Washington D.C. have laws on the books concerning paid sick leave, including California, Connecticut, and Massachusetts.
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act requires some employers to provide paid sick leave to employees who are sick, need to quarantine or self-isolate, care for a sick or quarantined family member, or care for a child whose school has been closed. It also creates an employer tax credit to fully offset the costs of providing this benefit. The paid sick leave requirement does not apply to employers with more than 500 employees. You can read more here.
Governor Wolf also wants businesses to institute paid family leave policies. Monday, he also announced Commonwealth employees will be able to take six weeks paid parental leave to care for a child after birth, adoption, or foster care placement. It starts October 15.