Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers announced on Tuesday that they reached an agreement on a framework to again require employers to provide paid COVID-19 supplemental sick leave.

Under the framework, employees would continue to have access to paid sick leave through Sept. 30, 2022, the governor’s office announced. It would be retroactive and cover COVID-19 absences since Jan. 1.

Employees at businesses with 26 or more employees who test positive for the virus, or have to care for a family member with COVID-19 would get up to two weeks of supplemental leave, the Los Angeles Times reported.

“By extending sick leave to frontline workers with COVID and providing support for California businesses, we can help protect the health of our workforce, while also ensuring that businesses and our economy are able to thrive,” state officials said in a statement.

The companies would have to absorb the costs of the paid time off, according to the Times.

The paid leave would likely be finalized through early budget actions, which also include restoring business tax credits.

California previously had a COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave law, but it expired on Sept. 30, 2021.

The law, signed by Newsom in March 2021, required that all employers with 26 or more employees provide 80 hours of paid COVID-19 sick leave.

It was meant to make sure that workers don’t show up at work while potentially infected, or miss out on getting vaccinated because they don’t want to take time off.

Under the...

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