NC H1046

Requires employers with 500 or more employees in North Carolina to provide at least two weeks of paid sick leave to full-time employees and equivalent hours for part-time employees from April 1, 2020, through December 31, 2020.

Paid sick leave covers employees subject to quarantine/isolation orders, advised by healthcare providers to self-quarantine, experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, caring for affected individuals, or caring for children whose schools or childcare providers are closed due to COVID-19.

Employees must be paid at their normal rate of pay with benefits included, on the same schedule as regular wages, with no delays in compensation.

Employers are prohibited from requiring employees to use other paid leave first, requiring employees to find replacements, or retaliating against employees who use COVID-19 sick leave or file complaints.

Violations are treated as failures to meet wage payment requirements under the North Carolina Wage and Hour Act and are enforceable as such.