As the pandemic continues to grip Virginia, lawmakers are debating paid sick days.
The House of Delegates is considering a bill that would require businesses to provide paid sick leave to essential workers. A previous effort was unsuccessful before the pandemic and then another one failed during the special session last fall.
Stephen Haner at the Thomas Jefferson Institute says the bill raises questions about who qualifies as an essential worker and who doesn't.
"A lot of these legislators who are working on this do not understand the complexities," Haner says. "The bills sound really good when they come out of legislative services. But putting them into effect is a pain the rear, and they need to sit down with the other side and listen to them for a change."
Kim Bobo at the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy says advocates have listened very carefully to Senate Democrats who are reluctant to vote for paid sick days.
"They said to us, ‘Well, we think maybe we could do a bill that covers essential workers,’ so we've got a bill focused on essential workers. They said, ‘Well, we're not sure about part-time workers,’ so we've got a bill that only covers workers who work 20 hours or more," Bobo explains. "They said, “Well, there are some businesses that are struggling,’ and so this bill has a hardship waiver."
The House has already passed a similar bill, so the real test will come later this session when the House bill gets over to the Senate.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
