Senate Resolution 115 Summary

• Urges state and private health care networks to allow sick employees to take time off for illness without fear of retaliation or retribution.

• Addresses concern that current attendance policies penalize workers for absences (such as two occurrences within one month), potentially resulting in corrective action, denial of time off requests, and impacts to transfers, promotions, and employment status.

• Notes that such policies compel sick health care workers to continue working with critically ill patients, negatively impacting both worker health and patient care quality.

• References the COVID-19 global health emergency as of March 4, 2020, with over 92,800 confirmed cases and 3,200 deaths worldwide, and notes Hawaii's expected 2.5 percent increase in visitor arrivals in 2020 as a transmission risk.

• Directs transmission of certified copies to the Governor, President of the Senate, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and heads of all state and private health care networks.