DELAURO, HARKIN RENEW FIGHT FOR PAID SICK DAYS

Washington, DC— Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (CT-3), Ranking Member on the Labor, Education, Health, and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee, and Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, reintroduced the Healthy Families Act today. This legislation would provide paid sick days to millions of American workers who currently are forced to choose between their health, their family's health, and their jobs.

First introduced in 2004 by Congresswoman DeLauro and Senator Edward M. Kennedy, the Healthy Families Act would enable workers to earn up 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, up to 7 days' worth of paid leave. Currently, 40 million Americans are without paid sick days, meaning they cannot take time off work should they fall ill or need to care for ailing child or elderly relative. Two-thirds of lower-income private sector workers do not have a single paid sick day, and the percentage is even higher amongst workers in certain industries.

"I believe that everyone should be able to take care of themselves and their families if they are sick without having to worry about losing their jobs. Too many of our workers, especially those who work in the food service industry, where health is so critical, are unable to do this. And simply showing up to work when you are sick, known as ‘presenteeism,' costs employers a staggering $160 billion a year in lost productivity," said Congresswoman DeLauro. "It is in the best interests of our nation, and especially our families, to ensure American workers have access to paid sick days."

"Every day, many Americans go to work ill, often worsening their own health or infecting co-workers, for fear of missing a day of pay or even losing their job," Harkin said. "Paid sick days give families the security they need to care for a sick child or an ailing parent, or to recover from an illness. American workers should never be forced to choose between the jobs they need and the families they love."

A summary of the legislation is below.

Supporting America's Working Families: The Healthy Families Act

Senator Tom Harkin and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro

The Healthy Families Act allows workers to earn paid sick time to address medical needs and care for family members.

• Workers can earn up to 56 hours (7 days) of paid sick time. Workers earn 1 hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked.

• Workers can use this time to stay home and get well when they are ill, to care for a sick family member, to obtain preventative or diagnostic treatment, or to seek help if they are victims of domestic violence.

The Act provides these important protections while addressing business concerns.

• Small employers with fewer than 15 employees are exempt from the Act.

• Employers that already provide this leave will not have to change their current policies at all, as long as their existing leave can be used for the same purposes described in the Act.

• Employers can require workers to provide documentation supporting any request for leave longer than 3 consecutive days.

The Act will benefit workers, business, and our economy by reducing the spread of disease, decreasing employee turnover, and improving productivity.

• Illness costs our national economy $226 billion annually in lost productivity. The vast majority of this cost (71%) is due to "presenteeism" – the practice of sick workers coming to work and infecting their colleagues rather than staying at home.

• Lack of paid sick days results in higher employee turnover, especially for low-wage workers.

• Children who are sick recover faster if parents are present, and people with sick time reduce ER visits – this can help lower healthcare expenditures. ### DeLauro.House.Gov