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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2017 - 2018
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | June 11, 2018 03:55 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Gerald J. Mullery |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Co-sponsorship of Legislation – Paid Sick Leave |
| In the near future, I will be introducing a companion bill to Senator Hughes’ SB 207. This legislation, known has the “Healthy Employee/Healthy Workplace Act,” will create opportunities for parents and caregivers to address the needs of their families without facing negative repercussions in the workplace by guaranteeing paid sick leave. Specifically, my legislation will allow workers to earn one hour of paid leave for every 30 hours worked, if they are covered under the Minimum Wage Act’s overtime requirements, or one hour of paid leave for every 40 hours worked, if they are exempt from the overtime requirements. As you may know, fewer than half of Pennsylvania’s workforce is both eligible for and can afford to take unpaid leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Unfortunately, this means that most of the Commonwealth’s workforce has, at one point or another, been unable to take a day off to address an illness or take care of a loved one. Furthermore, more than 10 million women and men fall victim to domestic violence each year-- meaning that some of this Commonwealth’s victims have had to forgo seeking medical care, assistance from the police, or protection through the courts because they could not afford to take a day off. Therefore, I believe that providing paid leave is a basic and essential employment protection. Additionally, paid sick leave policies are proven to be an effective public health strategy that reduce the risk of spreading illnesses, improve employee morale and productivity by boosting job security, and increase employers’ ability to retain trained and skilled workers. This bill takes the necessary legislative steps towards ensuring that our constituents never have to choose between their health and their paycheck. With that in mind, I hope you will join me in sponsoring this important legislation. |
Introduced as HB2531