Healthy Families Act Would Guarantee Paid Sick Leave

One change to healthcare system may be coming, and it's one many small business owners would not like. Senator Ted Kennedy recently introduced a bill –the Healthy Families Act– that would implement a mandatory sick leave law and require employees to receive at least 7 paid sick days per year. In the House, the mandatory sick leave law introduced by Rep. Rosa DeLauro is called HR 2460.

The Act would require businesses with more than 15 employees to grant no less than one hour of paid sick leave per every 30 hours worked, up to a total of 7 paid sick days per year. Employees would be eligible to use paid sick leave after 60 days.

Employees could use the sick leave for their own illness, for preventive care, to care for a child, parent, spouse or "any other individual related by blood or affinity whose close association with the employee is the equivalent of a family relationship.", or to seek medical or legal assistance relating to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking.

The Times notes that similar legislation was attempted repeatedly during the Bush administration. The current bill's preamble notes that more than half private sector employees, and a vast majority of low wage workers have no paid sick leave, requiring them to choose between losing pay (and perhaps losing a job) and caring for themselves or their family.

The latest statistics show that more than half private sector employees and a vast majority of low wage workers have no sick leave. They must choose between losing pay (and perhaps losing a job) and caring for themselves or their family.

Business groups are vowing to block the legislation, arguing that the recession makes this an inopportune time to create a new mandate that they say would raise costs for employers. Supporters, on the other hand, say the legislation is especially timely now, given the swine flu epidemic.
San Francisco and Washington D.C. already require paid sick leave, and Milwaukee as well as many states are currently considering doing so as well. In addition, the legislatures of some other states, including Connecticut and Massachusetts, are debating similar measures.

Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act Goes Into Effect

The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA)of 2008, signed into law by previous President George W. Bush on May 21, 2008，and partly goes into effect on May 21, 2009, is an Act of Congress in the United States designed to prohibit the improper use of genetic information in health insurance and employment.

Under GINA, the EEOC definition of “genetic information” includes information about an individual’s family medical history. The law would prohibit an employer from asking about family medical history during an interview, or at any time after the employee is hired. It also prohibits employers from gathering information about the employee through individual genetic tests, or genetic tests of a family member.

The law has two parts: Title I and Title II. Title I, goes into effect on May 21, 2009, prohibits health insurance providers from discrimination against an individual based on genetic testing. This makes it illegal for health insurance providers to use or require genetic information to make decisions about a person's insurance eligibility or coverage. Title II, goes into effect on November 21, 2009, makes it illegal for employers to use a person's genetic information when making decisions about hiring, promotion, and several other terms of employment.

GINA applies to employers with 15 or more employees, including private employers, employment agencies, labor unions, and joint labor-management training programs. It also applies to government employers with 15 or more workers, including state and local governments, agencies of the federal executive branch and Congress. Each of these employers is referred to as a “covered entity” in the GINA regulations.

Obama Speeds Up Stimulus Spending

President Barack Obama announced plans on June 8 to accelerate stimulus spending to save or create 600,000 jobs over the next 100 days, four times the number created or saved in the first 100 days since the plan was signed into law on February 17.

The announcement came days after the government reported that the number of unemployed continues to rise. The Labor Department reported that U.S. unemployment rose to 9.4 percent in May, even though job losses last month slowed to 345,000. The rate is the highest in more than 25 years. Hundreds of thousands of Americans continue to lose jobs each month, although fewer jobs were lost last month than expected.

"We've got a long way to go, but I feel like we've made great progress," Obama said at a White House meeting with Vice President Joe Biden and cabinet officials aimed at highlighting gains made since Congress passed the massive stimulus package in February. Obama has claimed as many as 150,000 jobs saved or created by his stimulus plan so far, even as government reports have shown the economy has lost more than 1.6 million jobs.
The White House estimates the $787 billion Recovery and Reinvestment Act that Democrats pushed through Congress with little Republican support will create or save 3 million to 4 million jobs by early 2011.

Swine Flu--What Should Employers Do

Until now, the swine flu (Influenza A virus, H1N1) has not reached pandemic status, but it could. Unfortunately, human being is not immured to the virus that causes the flu. The number of swine flu cases reported in the United States and Mexico has been increasing and the news media are paying a close attention to the outbreak; therefore, many of the employees may have concerns regarding their potential for exposure to the flu at work .

If you are an employer, then you have the responsibility to protect your employees. You should let your employees know that you also have concerns, and you have made every effort to keep them safe. Basically, you can post infection control instructions on company website, or in elevators, such as frequent hand washing with soap and water, or even alcohol-based hand gels. Besides, there are some other aspects you should pay attention to:

First, you should review your safety policies and develop an emergency response plan. You should try to reach the “best practices” that go beyond legal requirements. This will be helpful. An emergency response plan can save lives and properties of a company in case of a disaster.

Second, you’d better review your home-stay policies and adjust them. Employees can be encouraged to work at home if they experience flu-like symptoms. In this way, you can continue your operation in a crisis. This will be helpful and reduce your loss.

Then, you should make plans for a potential impact of a pandemic on your business, your employees and customers. Try to communicate with your employees that you are following the situation closely and will take all necessary steps to ensure their safety and health.

Let Blog Help in Your Marketing

Now almost every company has its online business, and there exist many marketing techniques that you may employ. Among all the avenues to build your network, blogs recently gained more momentum. It is a great way to promote your products, services, and communicate with current and future customers. Blogs also have some other advantages:



First, blogs are easy to create. Comparing a website, web blogs can be created in just a few minutes. There are many free blog sites, where you can register and start your own blog right away. You only have to use your email address and a topic for your blog.

Second, blogs provide instant communications. You can add new posts from anywhere you go, and whenever you would like to add, as long as you have an internet connection. Thus, you can easily communicate with prospects, customers, and friends, to show them the latest news and activities about your business.

Third, blogs bring traffic to your website. In your blog, you may write all kind of topics. As long as they relate to your business, you can insert a link that pointing to your website. Besides, you may also invite people to subscribe to your RSS feeds. In this way, they can keep informed all the time.

These are only some of the advantages of blogs. Once you create one, you will find they are really useful.