The Big Story 

While voters across the country cast their ballots for measures dealing with abortion access and marijuana legalization, another issue ran somewhat under the radar: Paid sick leave. 

© AP

There are no federal laws that require private employers to provide paid sick leave, but 15 states and Washington, D.C., currently have laws mandating private employers provide paid sick leave to eligible employees. 

According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 percent of private industry workers in the U.S. did not have access to paid sick leave. 

Voters in Alaska, Missouri and Nebraska voted in favor of passing ballot measures entitling workers to paid sick leave. 

Alaska 

• Workers are now entitled to at least 40 hours of paid sick leave a year. Larger employers in the state can allow 56 or more hours of paid sick leave a year with those days carrying over to the next year, according to the ballot measure language.   
• The measure received 56.5 percent of the vote in Alaska. 

Missouri 

• Employers are now required to provide one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours an employee works. 
• There is an exception for very small businesses. Under the measure, businesses with fewer than 15 employees need to provide workers with at least five paid sick days.   
• The measure received 57.6 percent of the vote in Missouri. 

Nebraska 

• Eligible employees have the right to earn paid sick time for “personal or family health needs.” 
• Workers in businesses with fewer than 20 employees can accrue and use up to 40 hours of paid sick time a year while those working for employers with more than 20 employees can accrue and use up to 56 hours of paid sick time annually.   
• The measure received 74 percent of the vote in Nebraska. 

Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter, we’re Nathaniel Weixel, Joseph Choi and Alejandra O’Connell-Domenech — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health.

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