There was a promising development in the 2024 election that should not be overlooked: By large and decisive margins, voters in Alaska, Missouri and Nebraska all voted yes to enacting new paid sick time laws in each state.
This means that approximately 3 million more workers in the U.S. have gained the legal right to paid sick time and will soon no longer need to make the impossible choice between sacrificing a paycheck and going to work or sending a child to school sick. If Congress wants to address widespread concerns about economic hardship and rising costs of living, they can listen to voters and tangibly improve the well-being of working families everywhere by passing the federal Healthy Families Act.