Bill > S635

Introduced Session

AN ACT PROVIDING FOR HEALTHY FAMILIES AND HEALTHY WORKPLACES BY ENSURING THAT ALL WORKERS HAVE EARNED PAID SICK DAYS TO ADDRESS THEIR OWN HEALTH NEEDS AND THE HEALTH NEEDS OF THEIR FAMILIES. Whereas, nearly every worker in North Carolina is likely to need, during any given year, time off to attend to his or her own illness or that of an immediate family member or for routine medical care; and Whereas, paid sick days have been shown to slow the spread of COVID-19, saving lives and reducing the strain on North Carolina's medical system; and Whereas, paid sick days are a first line of defense in any contagious disease outbreak; and Whereas, many high-contact industries where contagious illnesses are most likely to spread are also those with the lowest paid sick days access rates in North Carolina, including the child care, home- and facility-based senior care, and food and drink sectors; and Whereas, North Carolinians working in low-wage industries are both least likely to have access to paid sick days and least able to afford to take time off for illness without pay; and Whereas, working North Carolinians who are Black and Latino are less likely to have access to employer-provided paid sick days; and Whereas, the lack of paid sick days contributes to workforce attrition and detachment for women; and Whereas, when parents are available to care for their children who become sick, the children's recovery is faster, more serious illnesses are prevented, and the children's overall health is improved; and Whereas, parents who cannot afford to miss work must send children with a contagious illness to child care or school, contributing to the high rate of infections in child care centers and schools; and Whereas, over 62,967 North Carolinians reported physical abuse or sexual assault between July 2017 and June 2018, and there were 1,036 domestic violence-related homicides in North Carolina between 2004 and 2018; and Whereas, victims of domestic violence and sexual assault need time off to care for their health or to seek solutions, such as a restraining order or housing, to avoid or prevent abuse, and are forced to lose days of paid employment; and Whereas, 38% or over 1.6 million private-sector workers in North Carolina are not entitled to any earned paid sick days to care for their own health needs or the health needs of members of their families; and Whereas, low-income workers are significantly less likely to have earned paid sick days, with 60% of those earning less than $20,000 per year lacking access to earned paid sick days; Now, therefore,

AI Summary

Woodson Bradley (D)*,  Sophia Chitlik (D)*,  DeAndrea Salvador (D)*,  Michael Garrett (D),  Julie Mayfield (D),  Kandie Smith (D),  Joyce Waddell (D), 

Ref To Com On Rules and Operations of the Senate (on 03/26/2025)

Official Document