Maine Senate President Libby Mitchell has scaled back a bill that would have required large Maine businesses to provide employees with paid sick days.
Instead, the Vassalboro Democrat is proposing to prohibit all Maine employers from firing workers who take sick days, whether they're paid or not, according to the Portland Press Herald.
Mitchell told a legislative committee yesterday that the timing isn't right for the paid sick days proposal, citing the tough economy. Her original impetus for the bill was to prevent the spread of the H1N1 flu, but concern about the virus has abated.
Mitchell's new version of the bill would allow employees to sue if they're fired for taking sick days, the paper reports. Members of the business community say the new bill tries to solve a problem that is small or non-existent.