It's not the full-on stimulus bill that Sen. Elizabeth Warren has called for and that is definitely needed to respond to the economic and social upheaval coronavirus is threatening, but Sen. Patty Murray and Rep. Rosa DeLauro also have a plan to make American business step up. The Democrats want to ensure that coronavirus patients can stay home when they’re sick without losing wages. This would make the U.S. join every other industrialized nation on earth in requiring sick leave.
Murray's home state of Washington is ground zero for the disease in the U.S. From her position as ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, she and DeLauro—chair of the House Appropriations subcommittee responsible for funding the Department of Labor—have introduced a bill to require paid sick leave for all workers. They would have to allow workers to accrue seven days of leave during the work year, but would also require an additional 14 days, immediately available, in the event of a public health crisis.
"The coronavirus is highly contagious and the problem isn't going away anytime soon," said Murray. "Workers want to do the right thing for themselves, their families, and their communities—so especially in the middle of public health crises like this, staying home sick shouldn't have to mean losing a paycheck or a job. This bill would immediately give workers the ability to care for themselves, their families, and help keep their communities safe. We need to pass it without delay."
DeLauro pointed out that the "lack of paid sick days could make coronavirus harder to contain in the United States compared with other countries that have universal sick leave policies in place." Which is pretty darned obvious to anyone with a lick of sense, so of course it's not something the U.S. Republican Party has ever allowed. Yet. Here's what this bill does:
- Require all employers to allow workers to gradually earn seven days of paid sick leave.
- Require all employers to provide an additional 14 days of paid sick leave, available immediately at the beginning of a public health emergency, including the current coronavirus crisis.
- Ensure paid sick leave covers days when your child's school is closed due to a public health emergency, when your employer is closed due to public health emergency, or if you or a family member is quarantined or isolated due to a public health emergency.