Virtually all Hawaii workers would get paid sick leave of up to nine days a year under a bill moving through the Legislature.

The benefit would apply to employees who work “more than eighty hours in a year” — not sure if that’s a typo considering the average full-time employee works 2,080 hours a year.

HB 2089, introduced by Reps. Roy Takumi and Karl Rhoads, already cleared the House Labor and Public Employment Committee and is set to be heard by Economic Revitalization and Business Thursday morning.

To get a sense of the rationale, check out the intro to the bill, which includes 18 numbered statements, including, No. 6: “Paid sick leave would have a positive effect on the public health of residents of the State by allowing workers the option of staying home when ill, thus lessening recovery time and reducing the likelihood of spreading illness to other members of the workforce and to the public.”

Seattle is considering mandating paid sick leave, which would make it the fourth city in the U.S. to do so, according to the Wall Street Journal. San Francisco, Milwaukee and Washington, D.C., already require private employers to provide paid sick leave. New York considered the idea, but its city council ultimately shelved the plan following aggressive opposition from businesses. 

In Hawaii, state and city government workers earn 21 paid sick days annually.