PDF LINK to News Release Sept. 10, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 10, 2020
Virginians for Paid Sick Days Coalition Statement on Paid Quarantine Substitute Bill
The Virginians for Paid Sick Days Coalition released the following statement regarding the compromise substitute Paid Quarantine Leave bill put forward by Del. Elizabeth Guzman and House Leadership on HB 5116. The substitute bill includes changes to better protect hard-working Virginians, especially frontline Black and brown workers.
“This bill is a good first step to address paid sick days during the pandemic, in order to keep workers healthy and keep our economy open,” said Kim Bobo, executive director of the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy. “This revised bill would provide protections for thousands of workers and help keep more Virginians healthy. This is an important first step, but we will need to take additional action in January to ensure that Virginia’s economy can safely reopen for good by protecting more Virginia workers from having to go to work while sick.”
The amendments lowered the small business exemption from 50 employees to 25, an improvement that would protect tens of thousands of additional workers. The bill also removed language that limited eligible employees to those already receiving benefits. This change, again, protects thousands of additional workers.
“This Paid Quarantine Leave bill is an important step forward for workers during the pandemic,” said Delegate Guzman, the bill’s patron. “As we emerge from the pandemic, we want a paid sick day standard that leaves no one behind.”
The substitute bill also included language that ensures domestic workers are not exempted from this law and ensures that home care workers are eligible to receive paid sick days funded through federal dollars.
Virginians for Paid Sick Days is a large, state-wide coalition of organizations fighting to establish a paid sick day standard that keeps Virginians healthy and keeps our economy running
Media Contacts:
Roberta Oster, Communications Director
Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy
roberta@virginiainterfaithcenter.org, 804-615-4192
Kim Bobo, Executive Director
Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy
Kim@virginiainterfaithcenter.org, 773-391-8844