New Jersey's legislature just passed paid sick leave and reinstated the ACA's individual mandate.

PAID SICK LEAVE

A bill that was years in the making is headed for the governor's desk. The measure requires that employers allow workers to accrue one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked. It also limits how much paid sick leave workers can carry forward annually to 40 hours.

The legislation has the support of progressive groups, which have been pushing for the measure for years. Dena Mottola Jaborska, the associate director of New Jersey Citizen Action, said it would be "inhumane to deny workers the right to earn paid time off for illness."

But business owners worry the legislation could strap already-tight budgets.

"Forcing us to pay for sick leave will create a hardship for us and our employees," said Donna Stewart, who owns Stewart Family Chiropractic, in a statement from the National Federation of Independent Business. "In order to keep payroll within our budget, we will have no choice but to cut hours, reduce raises, and decrease employee bonuses and regular vacation time."

HEALTH CARE

The Legislature also approved a measure to reinstate the health care mandate that existed under the Affordable Care Act before the Republican-led Congress repealed it last year. The measure requires every resident to obtain health insurance or pay a fee of $695.


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