Lt. Governor Phil Scott today issued the following statement on the Senate’s passage of H.187 without an amendment which would have exempted small business with five or fewer employees from the paid sick leave legislation:
“Today’s vote to not exempt Vermont’s very smallest businesses from yet another mandate is a sign that the Legislature does not understand how difficult it is to do business in our State. As someone who has been both an employee and an employer, I understand the importance of treating employees well and making a payroll. It was my hope the Senate would have adopted this exemption, thereby avoiding an additional mandate and burden on Vermont’s smallest businesses while also expanding sick leave to many Vermonters who don’t have it today. I have confidence that Vermont’s business community wants to do the best thing for their employees, but in order for them to accomplish that, we need to give them the flexibility and room to grow.
“It is essential we focus and work on ways to grow our economy, be better partners with our business community and make Vermont more affordable for all. These are issues which impact every single Vermonter, and should be a priority if we want to build a brighter future for Vermont.”