Nothing gives me the summertime blues more than a summer cold, but for those of us who’ve recently had to battle some bugs, I’ve got good news for you: We’re one step closer to winning a nation-wide paid sick days law – and we need to keep the pressure on the U.S. to keep the bill moving forward.

Here’s the scoop: Late last month, the Healthy Families Act (paid sick days) was voted out of a key committee in the U.S. Senate for the first time ever and now it needs to be scheduled for a vote on the floor. The Healthy Families Act guarantees workers seven job-protected paid sick days or 56 hours of paid sick time per year. [1]

The need for a national paid sick days law is urgent: The United States is the only developed country that does not guarantee paid sick days to workers. This puts families’ economic security and our economy at risk.

For a family without paid sick days, just 3.3 days of lost pay due to illness is equal to the family’s entire monthly health care budget and 4.5 days are equivalent to a whole month of food. [2] And almost one-quarter of U.S. adults report having lost a job or have been threatened with job loss for taking time off work due to illness or to care for a sick child or relative. [3]

While it’s beyond ridiculous that we don’t have a law like this in place already it’s never too late to get it done and momentum is now on our side.

This is the first time this important and common sense legislation has made it out of committee - and it’s because of the pressure that folks like you and me keep putting on Congress to get this moving before they head out of town for August recess.

You may be lucky enough to live in one of the 14 states, Washington, DC, or the 20 cities and municipalities that already have a paid sick days law on the books. [4][5] But what you may not realize is that almost 28 million workers are forced to choose between a paycheck and financial stability because they cannot earn paid sick days. [6] If you do live in a ZIP code that doesn’t have paid sick days you know how important it is that we set a minimum national standard for paid sick days across the country. And regardless of where you live, we all need to be telling our U.S. Senators that they must move forward to pass the Healthy Families Act ASAP.

It’s clear by the recent advancement of the Healthy Families Act that guaranteeing paid sick days to all workers is broadly supported by workers and even many private businesses who voluntarily offer paid sick days to their employees; further, employers and businesses shouldn’t have to lose funds due to “presenteeism” which is when people have no other choice but to come to work sick. Yet there are Members of Congress who remain on the fence- mind boggling. But we can’t be deterred, we have people like you and your neighbors fighting on our side, we must press on!

In a matter of weeks, Congress will begin their August recess when they leave Washington, DC and head to their home states and districts. While they’re home, we need to remind them that their work in DC is not yet done, that all workers need paid sick days so they can care for themselves, a sick child or family member without sacrificing a paycheck. And once Congress returns to Washington, DC, we can put even more pressure on Members of Congress by continuing to urge them to support paid sick days and pass the Healthy Families Act. With your help, we can get this done!

P.S.– Personal experiences are powerful and can make a HUGE difference in helping elected leaders understand how public policies impact families so they can move change. We want to hear more from YOU! Can you take a second and follow the link below to share your personal story about how having, or NOT having, access to job-protected paid leave or affordable, quality child care has impacted your family? https://action.momsrising.org/survey/Caretaking_Stories

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