Support the Providing Americans Insured Days of Leave Act (PAID Leave Act)

Overview

Following House and Senate passage, the President has now signed the FAMILIES FIRST CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE ACT (HR 6201). This is a good first step to help Americans, business owners and workers alike, who are coping with the threats to their physical and economic health from this coronavirus pandemic. 

Now Congress and the Administration are considering further steps to meet this crisis, including expanded federal personal and family leave, provisions of which are included in a new bill developed by Senator Patty Murray, (D-WA), the ranking Democrat on the Senate Health and Labor Committee; Representative Rosa DeLaura (D-CT), Chairwoman of the House Labor Appropriations Subcommittee; and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Senate lead on the FAMILY Act.

Their bill, Providing Americans Insured Days of Leave Act (PAID Leave Act), goes beyond the Families First bill with more comprehensive emergency paid sick days and paid family and medical leave, fully funded by the federal government, so the burden doesn’t fall on employers alone.

For all employees and independent contractors, this bill would:

  • Provide 14 emergency paid sick days in the event of a public health emergency, including the current coronavirus crisis, reimbursed in full by the federal government.
  • Provide workers with 12 weeks emergency paid family and medical leave, fully reimbursed by the federal government.
  • Permanently ensure workers can accrue 7 paid sick days.
  • Permanently enact a paid family and medical leave program (Senator Gillibrand’s and Representative DeLauro’s FAMILY Act)

This bill builds on the FAMILY Act, for which ASBC has long advocated. Unfortunately, this coronavirus crisis is a terrible demonstration of that need.  When all employees have time to heal and time to care for sick family members, productivity increases, profits rise, our economy grows and our nation becomes stronger. Yet, nationally, over 1 ITin 4 private sector employees lack access to earned sick days, and 60 percent of workers lack employer provided personal medical leave for a longer illness.

Join ASBC in thanking Congress and the President for taking the first step with FAMILIES FIRST CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE ACT (HR 6201), but urge them to take more comprehensive action by supporting measures like the PAID Leave Act.