Bill expands access to earned sick leave for over a million more workers across state
LANSING, Mich. (Feb. 20, 2025) — Today, the Senate passed House Bill 4002 to establish a statewide earned sick leave policy. Thanks to strong cooperation between the Senate and House and across the aisle in both chambers, the agreement establishes Michigan as the strongest state in the nation on earned sick leave and extends coverage to a million more workers. This legislation builds on efforts led by Sen. Sam Singh (D-East Lansing), who spearheaded negotiations aimed at balancing the needs of small businesses and workers in implementing a new earned sick leave policy.
“Michiganders should be able to care for themselves and their loved ones when they are sick without fear of jeopardizing their wages or losing their jobs,” said Sen. Singh. “This legislation was thoughtfully crafted from extensive discussions held with workers and businesses alike and significantly improves earned sick leave access and Michigan’s national standing in providing it.”
This bipartisan legislation would guarantee access to earned sick time for workers by requiring larger businesses to provide a minimum of 72 hours of earned sick time to full-time employees. The Senate fought hard to make sure the final bill defined a small business as having 10 employees or fewer and successfully secured earned sick leave for over a million more workers than the initial version of the legislation. HB 4002 also makes Michigan the most generous state on annual accrued earned sick time in the country.
“Emergencies and illnesses are a part of life, and our core mission with this legislation is to help Michiganders sleep at night knowing that there is a reasonable amount of cushion for them when the unpredictable happens,” said Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids). “This bill is informed by the people of Michigan and negotiated in good faith across bipartisan lines, and in years to come, other states will be modeling their own laws on what we passed today.”
HB 4002 now moves back to the House for final concurrence before heading to the governor for her signature.\