Lawmakers in 3 States Want to Roll Back Paid Sick Leave Benefits
Article 1 Comment Voters in Alaska, Missouri and Nebraska were asked last year whether they wanted to require employers to provide paid sick leave to their workers. They overwhelmingly said yes. Now some lawmakers in each of those states are trying to roll back the benefits, citing concerns from businesses about costs. The efforts mark the latest attempt by legislators to alter laws backed by the voters they represent. In February, for example, Michigan enacted revisions to a paid sick leave law initiated by voters seven years ago, delaying the date when small businesses must comply and allowing a longer period before new employees are eligible. Though some voters are outraged, some lawmakers contend that citizen activists who crafted the initiatives overlooked the realities of running a business. Restaurant owner Tim Hart, who employs about two dozen workers at his steakhouse in Hannibal, Missouri, said the paid sick leave requirement imposes a double financial hit because he must pay one person to stay home and another to fill the shift. “When this goes into effect, we very likely won’t survive,” said Hart, who has urged the state Senate to halt the law. The paid sick leave laws are set to...
