Committee Kills Sick Leave Bill
By HOWARD FINE
Legislation requiring California employers to provide paid sick leave was killed in committee Thursday afternoon, handing a major victory to business groups.
Assembly bill 2716 by Fiona Ma, D-San Francisco, failed to clear the Senate Appropriations Committee over concerns that it would necessitate nearly $1 million in annual administrative costs at a time when the state is facing a $15.2 billion deficit.
The bill would have required employers to provide a limited number of paid sick days to full and part-time workers to care for themselves or for sick spouses or close family members.
The legislation was fiercely opposed by employer groups that said it put an unfair financial burden on employers in a slowing economy. The California Chamber of Commerce put it near the top of its annual listing of “job killer” bills.
“We are delighted that in the face of a multibillion dollar state budget deficit and an unemployment rate of 6.9%, committee members saw the wisdom in not loading more burdens on California businesses,” said John Kabateck, California executive director for the National Federation of Independent Business.
Ma said in a statement that she would reintroduce the legislation next year, noting that up to 6 million California workers currently cannot afford to take time off of work when they or close family members are sick.
Fine is a staff writer with the Los Angeles Business Journal.
