What a Pickle

There is momentum around a new bill that would allow employees to take up to seven sick day of paid leave. This bill has been around for some time, but during the Bush administration did not get much momentum. Now, President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama are putting new energy around this initiative. There is a fundamental belief that it is not only the right thing to do, but a potential pandemic like swine flu, you do not want to have workers making health decisions based on their weekly income.

Opponents to the bill, including the National Federation of Independent Business, also cite the current environment specifically economic conditions as a reason not to pass such a bill at this time. Small business owners believe this measure will be too costly during a time with revenue constraints.

There is a great article on this topic by Steven Greenhouse of the New York Times. Check it out at: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/16/health/policy/16sick.html?_r=2&bl&ex=1242619200&en=f6b83c745499e551&ei=5087%0A