Sen. Ben Cardin: Cardin, Van Hollen, Cummings and Delaney Reintroduce Healthy Families Act to Allow Workers to Earn Paid Sick

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, as well as Congressmen Elijah Cummings and John Delaney (all D-Md.), have joined colleagues in both houses of Congress to reintroduce the Healthy Families Act, legislation that would allow workers to earn paid sick leave to use when they are sick, to care for a loved one, to obtain preventative care, or to address the impacts of domestic violence, stalking, or sexual assault.

"Today 41 million Americans must choose between going to work sick or leaving behind their sick child, and risk losing their job. They must choose between their health and their economic security. No one, regardless of their line of work, should be forced to make such an impossible decision," said Senator Cardin. "The Healthy Families Act would put an end to that. It would guarantee that all working families have access to paid sick time regardless of their profession or zip code. I intend to fight hard for its passage."

Studies show that sick paid leave can reduce the spread of contagious diseases like the flu and a national paid sick day policy would reduce emergency room visits by 1.3 million annually, saving $1.1 billion a year.

Besides Senators Cardin and Van Hollen, original Senate cosponsors include Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Richard J. Durbin (D-IL), Robert P. Casey, Jr. (D-PA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Al Franken (D-MN), Jeffery A. Merkley (D-OR), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Angus S. King, Jr. (I-ME), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Christopher A. Coons (D-DE), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Tom Udall (D-NM), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), and Charles Schumer (D-NY).

Besides Congressmen Cummings and Delaney, original House cosponsors include Niki Tsongas (D-MA), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Bobby Scott (D-VA), Pete Aguilar (D-CA), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Suzan DelBene (D-WA), Kathleen M. Rice (D-NY), Debbie Dingell (D-MI), Keith Ellison (D-MN), Betty McCollum (D- MN), Donald S. Beyer Jr (D-VA), Tim Ryan (D-OH), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), Marc Veasey (D-TX), Dan Kildee (D-MI), Robin Kelly (D-IL), Grace Meng (D-NY), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Julia Brownley (D-CA), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Luis V. Gutiérrez (D-IL), Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ), Katherine Clark (D-MA), Sander Levin (D-MI), Gwen Moore (D-WI), Rick Larsen (D-WA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), John Garamendi (D-CA), Doris Matsui (D-CA), Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY), Jim Langevin (D-RI), Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM), John Larson (D-CT), Lois Frankel (D-FL), Louise Slaughter (D-NY), Tony Cárdenas (D-CA), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Jackie Speier, (D-CA), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Mike Doyle (D-PA), Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY), Derek Kilmer (D-WA), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Dina Titus (D-NV), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Ed Perlmutter (D-CO), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), Terri Sewell (D-AL), Ami Bera (D-CA), David Cicilline (D-RI), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Al Green (D-TX), André Carson (D-IN), Tim Walz (D-MN), Susan A. Davis (D-CA), Joe Kennedy (D-MA), Elizabeth H. Esty (D-CT), Seth Moulton (D-MA), Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA), Linda T. Sánchez (D-CA), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Eric Swalwell (D-CA), Joe Courtney (D-CT), Judy Chu (D-CA), Mark Takano (D-CA), Grace F. Napolitano (D-CA), Frederica Wilson (D-TX), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Stephen F. Lynch (D-MA), Nydia Velázquez (D-NY), Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Robert Brady (D-PA), Brendan F. Boyle (D-PA), Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Jared Polis (D-CO), Jerry McNerney (D-CA), Adam Smith (D-WA), Richard Nolan (D-MN), Eliot Engel (D-NY), Bill Foster (D-IL), Mike Thompson (D-CA), Cheri Bustos (D-IL), Alan Lowenthal (D-CA), Scott Peters (D-CA), Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH), Dwight Evans (D-PA), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Ruben Kihuen (D-NV), David Price (D-NC), Alcee Hastings (D-FL), Ted Deutch (D-FL), Raul Ruiz (D-CA), Marcia L. Fudge (D-OH), Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA), John Lewis (D-GA), and Brian Higgins (D-NY).