As of January 1, employers are no longer required to give employees who fall ill with COVID-19 two weeks of paid leave.
According to Buzzfeed News, Senate Leader Mitch McConnell blocked the extension of the paid leave mandate of the $ 900 billion stimulus package passed by Congress earlier this week.
According to the Huffington Post, Democrats wanted to extend paid time off into the new year as there has been an increase in COVID-19 cases. Still, the Republicans felt that renewing the mandate would make it permanent, which they didn’t want.
In March, Congress passed the CARES law, which requires employers to provide employees with up to two weeks of paid sick leave if they contract COVID, and two weeks of paid time off to care for a sick relative. It also allowed employers to use up to 10 weeks of paid family leave if a child’s school or daycare was closed due to the coronavirus.
While the latest incentive law does not extend sick leave or family leave mandates, the bill would still allow companies to subsidize costs with a refundable tax credit if they grant paid time off until March 31, 2021.
According to CNBC, 87 million workers who qualify for paid sickness and family leave could be affected under the law.