While prospects for COVID vaccines are creating light at the end of this horrible and destructive pandemic, the virus continues to surge throughout the country. But despite this worsening health crisis, Congress appears ready to allow emergency paid leave provisions to expire at the end of this month. Even if Congressional leaders and the Adminstration agree on a new round of COVID relief this week, negotiations have not included extending the sick and family leave provisions that were included in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) passed in spring 2020 . | |
Those provisions are key to allow workers to take care of themselves and their families without having to forgo a paycheck, while assuring consumers that businesses they may patronize or services on which they depend won’t expose them unnecessarily to illness.
Already more than 300,000 Americans have lost their lives and nearly 17 million have contracted the virus, and cases are only surging as we head into the end of the year, still weeks if not months away from making vaccines widely available. Now is not the time to deny Americans a key program to help protect the health of us all. Please take a moment right now to add your name to this sign-on letter urging members of Congress not to go home without extending emergency paid leave. Your letter will go directly to your Senators and your member of the House. But you need to sign soon as Congress could conclude its business this week. | |
