Friday, April 7, 2017 | 11:22 a.m.
CARSON CITY — A bill requiring business to give paid sick leave to employees was approved by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Labor and Energy along a party line vote today.
The bill, as amended, applies to employers with 50 or more workers and exempts churches and nonprofit organizations. The policy wouldn’t apply to temporary or construction employees and executive employees, and it doesn’t apply to hospital workers.
Senate Bill 196, sponsored by Democrats, goes to the floor of the Senate for a final vote. The approval in the committee was 4-3, with Democrats in the majority.
Under the proposed legislation, employees would be entitled to earn an hour of sick leave for every 30 hours of work, up to 24 hours a year. They may not accumulate more than 48 hours of paid sick leave.
Employers in violation of the law could be fined up to $5,000.
Senate Majority Leader Aaron Ford, D-Las Vegas, who initially proposed the bill, suggested the rules apply to employers of 50 workers or more in an effort to quiet the opposition of small business.
A bill pending in the Assembly would give tax incentives to companies that provide paid sick leave.
