Not-Business-Friendly Post #21 - Ohio bill mandating paid time off for parenting

Tomorrow the House Commerce, Labor & Technology committee will hear sponsor testimony on a bill that purports to be 'for the children,' but is really an expensive mandate on employers.

H.B. 179, introduced by Democrat Rep. Heather Bishoff, is titled "Parenting Time." How nice does that sound?

But here's what it will do:

To enact section 3109.054 of the Revised Code to require certain employers to allow a parent to exercise court-ordered parenting time without terminating the parent's employment, reducing the parent's pay, or taking other similar action against the parent.

So an employee who takes time off work in order to participate in court-ordered parenting cannot have their pay docked, even though they're not working?

Why must any employer pay any employee for time not worked?

What makes this particular court-ordered participation any different from any other court-ordered participation - the fact that it has to do with kids??

Will we soon see laws that require a company to pay an employee who has to do court-ordered drug testing?

Why not require employers to continue to pay people who are sentenced to days in jail? If it's 'for the kids' won't the kids be negatively impacted if the parent is no longer earning pay?

See how easy it is to appeal to the emotions when kids are involved?

You might think there are significant differences between being sentenced to jail versus being required to do a twice-weekly drug test versus spending time with your kids, but really, they are all court orders and the emotional appeal shouldn't result in extra cost to an employer simply because this particular court-order has to do with children.

Employer organizations across the state need to object to this - as should every Ohioan.

No one should be forced by state law to pay people for time not worked. That should be up to the individual business owner and their own judgment about what is in the best interests of their company.

Besides, the last thing our state needs is additional costs on employers or a 'not-business-friendly' law that makes them think twice about their decision to be an Ohio company.