The campaign to allow Ohio workers to earn paid sick days received a major boost on February 20th when Ohio House of Representatives Speaker Jon Husted (R-Kettering) agreed to assign the Healthy Families Act (HFA) to a House Committee and to hold at least one hearing on the legislation, and more if necessary. Watch the video here...
Complete details and more video below the fold...
Front PageBREAKTHROUGH ON PAID SICK DAYS !
HOUSE SPEAKER HUSTED AGREES TO HOLD HEARING ON BILL
The campaign to allow Ohio workers to earn paid sick days received a major boost today when Ohio House of Representatives Speaker Jon Husted (R-Kettering) agreed to assign the Healthy Families Act (HFA) to a House Committee and to hold at least one hearing on the legislation, and more if necessary.
The bill had been in limbo since early January when it arrived at the General Assembly as an “initiated statute” after 270,000 Ohio voters signed petitions favoring its passage. It had not been referred to a Committee and no hearings had been scheduled. Recent news reports in the Associated Press, the Columbus Dispatch, and other publications had quoted Senate President Bill Harris and aides to Speaker Husted as saying the leaders either intended no action or were “undecided” about it.
Husted’s commitment came at a meeting this morning at the Miami Township Government Center in his 37th House district. The Speaker holds such “town hall” style meetings to hear constituent concerns and resolve problems. Approximately 20 supporters of paid sick days from the Speaker’s district, some of whom indicated they had voted for Mr. Husted, attended today’s meeting to press him for action on the HFA.
Coalition campaign spokesman Dale Butland hailed today’s action, saying:
“We’re delighted that Speaker Husted was responsive to the wishes of his constituents and the 270,000 other Ohioans who signed petitions to allow 2.2 million Ohio workers to earn paid sick days. There was simply no excuse for the HFA to lay dormant while bills concerning “mobile hair salons”, permits for public dances, ditch maintenance, and naming the bull frog as “state amphibian” received hearings and committee assignments. With due respect to frogs, most people would agree that a law allowing workers to care for themselves and their children when illness strikes is a lot more important than deciding on the identity of the state amphibian.”
“We look forward to the initial hearing, and are supremely confident we will be able to demonstrate that additional hearings are necessary to hear testimony from physicians, school nurses, parents, the faith community and others on this important subject.”
A video recording of today’s meeting with Speaker Husted can be seen on the Ohioans for Healthy Families website, www.sickdaysohio.org
Part 2 video
Part 3 video
Part 4 video
Posted by SickDaysOhio.org on February 20, 2008
Comments
Posted by Patricia Baum at February 21, 2008 10:55 AM
"Employers/Workers"...
As part of the human family"both" know illness can occur at any time.
Therefore, it is important an employer provide sick days as part of the benefits package.
Yet many individuals "have" earned sick days but are concerned or unable to use them due to the way the sick day policy is written.
It would be ideal if an employer be realistic & fair when it comes to health issues without the need for a Healthy Families Act.
It would be better if the people involved (employer/worker) could resolve the issue without the government stepping-in.
Still, the legislature may need to step-up and use their expertise so that both employer (some are obviously greedy) and worker (some are obviously lazy) abide by an act that will benefit both.
Posted by Frank at February 26, 2008 12:50 PM
Actually, studies show that just over half the people who have paid sick days, rarely if ever use them.
Posted by christopher neff at April 7, 2008 9:03 AM
will they be able to take away my vacation days as the sick days?