There is a bill (A2354/S785) currently pending in the New Jersey Legislature that would require private employers to provide earned sick leave to each employee it employs in the State of New Jersey. Under the proposed bill, an employee would accrue one hour of sick leave for every thirty hours worked. Businesses with ten or more employees would be required to allow employees to accrue seventy-two hours of sick leave, and business with fewer than ten employees would be required to allow employees to accrue forty hours of sick leave. Employees would be able to carry over unused sick leave from year to year, but never more than 40 hours or 72 hours respectively. Earned sick leave could be utilized for: (1) time needed for diagnosis, care, or treatment of, or recovery from, an employee’s mental or physical illness, injury or other adverse health condition, or for preventative medical care for the employee; (2) time needed for the employee to care for a family member during diagnosis, care or treatment of, or recovery from, the family member’s mental or physical illness, injury or other adverse health condition, or for preventative medical care for the family member; and (3) absence needed due to circumstances resulting from the employee or a family member being a victim of domestic violence, if the leave is to obtain medical attention, counseling, relocation, legal or other services. At this time, the bill has been reported out of the Assembly Labor Committee with amendments, and is pending before the Senate Labor Committee.