HS 1 for House Bill 17 (HS1/HB 17) was recently introduced by Representative Eric Morrison and Senator Marie Pinkney. This bill would provide Delaware workers with time off from work to attend to their personal or their family’s well-being-- without the risk of losing pay or losing their job.

This bill would provide all employees in the state with a minimum of 1 hour of earned sick time and safety leave for every 30 hours worked. For employers with 9 or fewer employees, the time may be unpaid, job-protected time.

Sick time refers to time taken off for mental or physical illness or ailments, emergency or preventive doctor visits, for an individual or their family. Safety leave is intended to allow individuals to address circumstances relating to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking.

Only 39% of workers that are most economically insecure have access to earned sick time benefits. Currently, Delaware has no state law requiring that employers offer earned sick time or safety leave.

While some workers in Delaware may have leave benefits negotiated through a collective bargaining agreement or through a company’s benefits package, many go without. Per “A Better Balance,” the organization that has worked with states around the nation to implement paid sick time laws, 18 states and D.C. that have adopted such laws and five states are considering adopting the law. Meanwhile, over 140 nations other than America guarantee their workers paid sick time.

Earned sick time laws can help create the stability needed in Delaware’s workforce by ensuring that workers are retained and worker productivity increases.

The American Journal of Industrial Medicine found that providing earned sick time and safety leave means less occupational injury, spread of contagious disease, presenteeism (the act of workers going to work while ill), and employee death. Research also shows that offering earned sick time reduces visits to the emergency room because it allows workers to go to their primary care physicians for preventative visits. A Better Balance outlines benefits for businesses that implement paid sick time, including an increases in worker productivity, loyalty, and job satisfaction, and decreased turnover rates.

The legislation outlines multiple scenarios in which earned sick time and safety leave can be used, including:

• Staying home when sick with an everyday illness like the flu, a stomach bug, or a respiratory infection

• Care or treatment of an employee’s personal or their family’s physical or mental health, including seeking preventative care

• Addressing arising circumstances in connection with domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking

Please support providing all Delaware employees with earned sick time and safety leave. Send legislators an email urging them to make sure this bill passes into law before June 30th!