SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers reached an agreement Tuesday to again require employers to provide workers with up to two weeks of supplemental paid sick leave to recover from COVID-19 or care for a family member with the virus.
The legislation, which lawmakers would likely fast-track to the governor in the coming weeks, would apply to all businesses with 26 or more employees. A similar law from 2021 that provided 80 hours of supplemental paid sick leave expired Sept. 30.
Labor unions pushed the new proposal at the Capitol as California grapples with the rapid spread of the Omicron variant. State officials hope the deal will encourage workers with the virus to stay home and help slow transmission.