OMAHA- On Thursday, a diverse group of separate anti-poverty advocates filed paperwork with the Nebraska Secretary of State's Office to begin work on a petition that would require businesses, both large and small, to provide some form of paid sick leave to its employees. The coalition of advocates seeks to place the issue on the 2024 general election ballot, but first must a significant number of signatures from registered voters in the state.

Jo Giles, executive director of the Women's Fun of Omaha, one of the groups backing the petition, said that around 250,000 full-time Nebraskans lack any form of paid sick days, with many in this group going to work sick or having to decide whether to take care of their sick child without pay. The language of the petition is still being drafted by the Secretary of State's Office, and may take up to three weeks to be fully finalized and issued to signature-gatherers.

"People should be able to take care of themselves when they get sick," said Giles, "We think this is a reasonable approach that respects the needs of employees but also leaves room for differences between staffing." According to the Women's Fund, the petition, though not finalized as of this time, seeks to set a minimum number of paid sick days each Nebraska employer must provide to its employees. According to Giles, the organizations involved in the drafting of the petition were prompted to do so after a severe lack of paid sick leave was revealed all over the state by the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic.

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