[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 45 (Monday, March 9, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H1550-H1551]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            PAID SICK LEAVE

  (Mr. LEVIN of California asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LEVIN of California. Mr. Speaker, as we confront the coronavirus 
epidemic, one thing is clear: Everyone should follow the CDC's 
recommendations to stay healthy and safe. That means staying home if 
you are feeling sick.
  If we want people to follow that important guidance, though, we must

[[Page H1551]]

make it economically viable to do so. That is why I rise today in 
support of critical legislation introduced by Congresswoman DeLauro to 
ensure that working families receive paid sick leave in the event of a 
public health emergency like the coronavirus epidemic.
  The concept is simple: We want people to stay home if they are 
feeling sick so they don't spread the coronavirus or other illnesses to 
others. But not everyone can afford to do that. Many families live 
paycheck to paycheck, struggling to pay their bills each month. Taking 
unpaid sick leave simply isn't an option for them.
  With the severity of the crisis we are facing, we cannot force 
working people to choose between going to work and spreading their 
illness to others or staying home and getting behind on their bills.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support Congresswoman DeLauro's 
bill.

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