U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos of Illinois is encouraging passage of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. The measure was passed by the House Saturday. It currently awaits action in the Senate. Bustos says the act includes various forms of compensated time off for affected workers.
“Two weeks of paid sick time for workers in small businesses. On top of that, we’ve got another 10 weeks of paid sick leave for the workers, and that impacts as many as 87 million workers," she said.
Small businesses are not exempted from offering the two weeks of sick leave. Bustos is also asking the federal Small Business Administration to approve low-interest loans to vulnerable Illinois nonprofits and small businesses.