Healthy Families Act

Health and Family Care: Employees can use earned sick time for physical or mental illness, injury, or medical conditions, as well as for obtaining medical diagnosis or preventive care (Section 3(b)(1)-(2)).

Expanded Family Support: The bill allows workers to care for a wide range of family members, including children, parents, spouses, domestic partners, or others with a close relationship equivalent to family (Section 3(b)(3)).

Support for Victims of Violence: Individuals can use paid sick time to seek medical attention, obtain services from victim services organizations, seek relocation, or take legal action due to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking (Section 3(b)(4)).

Job Security and Reinstatement: If an employee is rehired within 12 months of separation, the employer must reinstate their previously earned paid sick time (Section 3(a)(7)).

Protection Against Retaliation: It is unlawful for employers to discharge, discriminate against, or retaliate against individuals for exercising their rights under this Act (Section 5(a)).

Access to Legal Remedies: Employees have the right to maintain civil actions to recover lost wages, benefits, or other compensation, as well as seeking equitable relief like reinstatement or promotion (Section 6(a)(3)).

Limits on Accrual: The Act does not require employers to permit employees to earn more than 56 hours of paid sick time in a single calendar year (Section 3(a)(1)).

Wait Periods for Use: While employees begin earning time immediately, they are generally not entitled to use the earned paid sick time until the 60th calendar day following the commencement of their employment (Section 3(a)(3)).

Employer Discretion on Loans: Employers have the discretion to loan paid sick time in advance of it being earned, but they are not required to do so (Section 3(a)(3)).

Requirement for Certification: For absences longer than three consecutive workdays, employers may require documentation, such as a certification from a health care provider or specific documentation regarding domestic violence (Section 3(d)(2)-(3)).

Scheduling Obligations: Employees are required to make a reasonable effort to schedule their paid sick time in a way that does not unduly disrupt the employer's operations (Section 3(c)).