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<\/p>\nSacramento, CA… Building on the state\u2019s action to expand paid sick days protections for California\u2019s workforce during the pandemic, Governor Gavin Newsom today signed SB 95, legislation to ensure access to up to 80 hours of COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave for eligible employees, including those advised to quarantine or isolate and those caring for COVID-impacted family members.<\/p>\n
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Legislation creates uniform, statewide policy to ensure employees have access to COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave through September 30, 2021<\/p>\n
\u201cPaid sick leave gives workers the time they need to care for themselves and loved ones while\u00a0keeping their coworkers, families and communities safe,\u201d said Governor Newsom. \u201cEven as case rates and hospitalizations decline and vaccinations ramp up, we can\u2019t let our guard down and must do all we can to stop this virus from spreading. I thank the Legislature for its continued leadership and commitment to supporting California workers affected by this pandemic.\u201d<\/p>\n
SB 95 extends protections through September 30, 2021 and is retroactive to sick leave taken beginning January 1, 2021. Small businesses employing 25 or fewer workers are exempt from the legislation, but may offer supplemental paid sick leave and, if eligible, receive a federal tax credit.<\/p>\n
\u201cProtecting the frontline workers that have sustained us all during this unprecedented crisis has been a top priority of our emergency response from the very beginning of the pandemic,\u201d said Senator Mar\u00eda Elena\u00a0Durazo (D-Los Angeles). \u201cBy expanding supplemental paid leave, SB 95 will build on this progress by allowing employees across the state to put their health first without fearing that it might jeopardize their job. This emergency legislation will save lives, help small businesses, and ultimately keep our families and communities safer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPaid sick leave is critical not only for the well-being of our dedicated workforce, but for the safety of their families, customers and communities,\u201d said Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo (D-Los Angeles). \u201cUnder AB84\/SB95, workers can rest assured they will be able to take time off if they or a loved one gets sick, need to quarantine or attend an appointment to be vaccinated. California\u2019s essential workers who have not had the privilege to stay home during the pandemic are deserving of protections that ultimately save lives. Combined with other initiatives implemented by the state to support workers and their employers, paid sick leave will help ensure California remains on the right track as we continue to make progress to safely reopen the state.\u201d<\/p>\n
California took\u00a0early action<\/a>\u00a0to expand paid sick days to employees in the food sector, and later enacted\u00a0paid sick days protections<\/a>\u00a0for every employee exposed to or positive for COVID-19. From the beginning of the pandemic, the Administration has taken action to protect and support California\u2019s workforce, including expanding access to job-protected\u00a0Paid Family Leave<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0workers\u2019 compensation<\/a>;\u00a0more resources<\/a>\u00a0for critical\u00a0child support services<\/a>\u00a0for essential employees and vulnerable populations;\u00a0additional weekly unemployment benefits<\/a>; and support for employees to\u00a0isolate and quarantine<\/a>\u00a0outside their home. The Administration has also built a pipeline of personal protective equipment to help workers stay safe on the job and expanded testing and health plan reimbursement for the essential workforce.<\/p>\n