{"database": "openregs", "table": "crs_reports", "rows": [["R48921", "Paid Sick Leave in the United States", "2026-04-28T04:00:00Z", "2026-05-01T10:45:51Z", "Active", "Reports", "Sarah A. Donovan", "Wages & Benefits, Employer-Provided Leave Benefits", "Paid sick leave is generally a compensated, excused absence from work for the purposes of medical recovery, treatment, or examination. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 80% of private sector workers had access to paid sick leave in March 2025, but the availability of leave was not uniform across occupations and industries. \nWhile federal law generally does not entitle private sector employees to paid sick leave, 18 states (including the District of Columbia) have laws that require private sector employers to provide paid sick leave to their employees and 3 additional states require employers to provide paid leave that can be used for any purpose. Some employers who are not covered by state leave mandates elect to include paid sick leave as part of their compensation packages, or provide it as part of collective bargaining agreements with employees. \nCongress has considered a range of proposals to expand workers\u2019 access to paid sick leave, including by mandating employer-provided paid sick leave or by allowing employees to be compensated for overtime hours in paid leave in lieu of overtime pay (\u201ccomp time\u201d). Proponents of federal policies to increase access to paid sick leave often cite its potential to improve worker well-being, workplace productivity, and public health. While recognizing possible gains, some observers have cautioned that federal leave policies should account for employers\u2019 costs or allow employers to tailor leave policies to the specific needs of their workplaces. \nThis report provides an overview of employees\u2019 access to paid sick leave in the United States, discusses state laws that create an entitlement to such leave and research on the impacts of these mandates, and describes recent federal proposals to increase access to paid sick leave.", "https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/R/PDF/R48921/R48921.3.pdf", "https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/R/HTML/R48921.html"]], "columns": ["id", "title", "publish_date", "update_date", "status", "content_type", "authors", "topics", "summary", "pdf_url", "html_url"], "primary_keys": ["id"], "primary_key_values": ["R48921"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.4268829943612218, "source": "Federal Register API & Regulations.gov API", "source_url": "https://www.federalregister.gov/developers/api/v1", "license": "Public Domain (U.S. Government data)", "license_url": "https://www.regulations.gov/faq"}