The California legislature on Thursday voted to expand paid sick time related to COVID-19 for about 10.4 million workers, The Associated Press reports.
The bill, which would require that employees get up to two weeks of paid time off if they exhibit coronavirus symptoms, are getting a COVID-19 vaccine or are the caregiver of a child who is remotely learning, is now being sent to Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Should he approve the bill and sign it into law, companies with 25 or more employees would be subject to the new coronavirus-related mandates.
The new policies are set to expire on Sept. 30, but are retroactive to Jan. 1, meaning that employees who have previously taken time off for these reasons would still be compensated.
Sen. Shannon Grove, a Republican from Bakersfield, blasted the bill, along with the Chamber of Commerce, which dubbed it an “administrative nightmare.”
“This is a horrible, horrible piece of legislation,” Grove said, the AP reported.
California is one of the states that’s been hit the hardest by COVID-19, reporting 3.5 million total cases to date. Infection rates have dropped significantly in recent weeks, with 3,038 active cases as of Thursday, according to the state’s COVID-19 website.
California’s embattled governor has faced increased scrutiny throughout the pandemic, with a recent petition to recall him reaching more than 2 million signatures. Critics have pointed to his prolonged school and business closures as reasons for wanting him removed from office.