California’s full-time workers will have access to up to 80 hours of COVID-specific paid sick leave through the end of September under a bill Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Wednesday.
The policy, which state lawmakers approved earlier this week, requires businesses with more than 25 employees to provide at least 40 hours of COVID-related paid sick leave to workers that get infected or care for another person who is sick.
Workers who present proof of their positive COVID test result are eligible for an additional 40 hours of paid leave. The policy is retroactive and applies to all workers who have or will contract the virus through Sept. 30, 2021.
“Businesses cannot thrive in a world that’s failing,” Newsom said during a signing ceremony at Nido’s Backyard in Oakland. “And that’s why sick leave is foundational: Keeping people healthy, keeping people safe is so important.”
While California’s employers are required to provide general paid sick leave to their workers, the state’s paid sick leave policy specifically for workers exposed to COVID-19 or those exhibiting symptoms expired Sept. 30 last year.
That policy, which Newsom signed into law in March 2021, required employers with more than 25 employees to provide an additional 80 hours of paid leave, ensuring workers could avoid working when sick.
Also included in the legislative package Newsom signed is $6.1 billion in relief funding that includes some $500 million in tax relief for restaurants and venues that have received federal relief grants, $150 million in small business grants and $5.5 billion in tax credits and deductions for employers.
“This much-needed tax relief is not only essential for the immediate health of employers, but it also creates a pathway and lays the foundation for long-term economic recovery for our employers,” California Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Jennifer Barrera said.
The state has previously dispersed roughly $3.56 billion in pandemic relief grants to more than 300,000 businesses, Newsom said, and estimated that an additional 13,500 businesses would benefit from the funding package he signed Wednesday.
Newsom said that the state intends to make additional funding available, if necessary, to help business owners afford the cost of providing paid sick leave to COVID patients.
He added that state legislators have been highly cooperative about supporting the state’s small businesses throughout the pandemic.
“There’s no convincing or coercing this Legislature — quite the contrary — on helping our small businesses,” he said. “And I would expect, as needs present themselves, we will indeed do more.”
Workers who present proof of their positive COVID test result are eligible for an additional 40 hours of paid leave. The policy is retroactive and applies to all workers who have or will contract the virus through Sept. 30, 2021.
Typo?
Yes typo.
It should be wokers, not workers
When Joe Rogan’s guests challenged the Covid narrative, the left activated media, academia, politicians and others to crush him. But, Rogan is too big to be canceled. However, the little targets — podcasters with small audiences, whose guests are less prominent but just as compelling, have a problem. The machine can crush them like a bug. Th elite are determined to protect the ‘underclass’.
From The Federalist — https://bit.ly/3Bb9Gip
“He added that state legislators have been highly cooperative about supporting the state’s small businesses throughout the pandemic.”
This man is pathologically evil, or just plan stupid. Over the past two years our government took a wrecking ball to small businesses.
This is another bad bill that will be abused by the disingenuous and will do nothing but add costs to the employer and consumer.
The corporate media propped these bafoons up for decades but now we can see every little word they say..and they are a dumb bunch of people that have no idea how anything works.
“This much-needed tax relief is not only essential for the immediate health of employers, but it also creates a pathway and lays the foundation for long-term economic recovery for our employers,” California Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Jennifer Barrera said.
Probably took them a day to write that statement. How about making tax relief permanent?
How about some tax relief for the tax paying residents! The only way we’ll see that is to leave California, put it on your To Do list…
Capitalism = survival of the fittest
Socialism = survival of no one
I hope they are keeping tract of all this covid money so they can sue the chinese communist for reimbursement. Where is all of this money they are handing out coming from.
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BAILOUT!
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