Senator Aaron D. Ford
Nevada Senate Majority Leader
P.O. Box 96003
Las Vegas, NV 89193
Senator Michael Roberson
Nevada Senate Minority Leader
P.O. Box 530940
Henderson, NV 89053
RE: NEVADA PAID SICK LEAVE
Dear Senators Ford and Roberson:
The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC) recognizes the growing importance of paid sick leave for employees and the states’ desire to ensure the care and well-being of its workers. We strongly support increasing access to paid sick leave policies for Americans, but believe it should be accomplished in a manner that does not hinder employers who already provide quality paid sick leave policies.
ERIC is the only national association that advocates exclusively for large employers on health, retirement, and compensation public policies at the federal, state, and local levels. ERIC speaks in one voice for our members on their benefit and compensation interests. We seek to enhance our members’ ability to provide flexible paid sick leave plans by advocating in favor of public policies that enable an employer to provide a consistent experience for all employees.
Nevada Senate Bill 196 (“SB 196”), which provides for paid sick leave to employees of private employers, works against large employers in several ways, including: (i) a lack of guidance on eligible employee; (ii) requiring the carryover of accrued sick leave, even when sick leave is front-loaded; (iii) mandating the tracking of employees’ accrued sick leave; and (iv) providing no clear definition of who a family member is for purposes of care. SB 196 does provide an exemption from the bill’s requirements for employers who have equivalent, existing policies but it can be improved for clarity.
Our concerns with the measure are outlined in greater detail in the attached written testimony we sent to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Labor and Energy on March 29, 2017. We seek to ensure that large employers, who largely already meet or exceed the requirements of SB 196, do not experience a drastic increase in the administrative burden of operating paid sick leave policies. ERIC welcomes the opportunity to serve as a resource to both the Nevada Senate as a whole and the Committee on Commerce, Labor and Energy as it considers this legislation and its impact on large employers and their employees. If you have any questions concerning our written testimony, or if we can be of further assistance, please contact us at whansen@ERIC.org or 202-789-1400.
Sincerely,
Will Hansen
Senior Vice President, Retirement Policy