Connecticut lawmakers have advanced legislation seeking to expand the state’s paid sick day law to include all employees in the state.

The move would require workplaces to offer employees 40 hours of paid sick time per year. Current law only mandates this for workplaces with 50 or more employees.

Sick days can be used for time needed to tend to illness, injury and mental health. The time can also be used toward recovery from family violence or sexual assault. Improving the statute is an issue of gender and racial equity, said Janée Woods Weber, executive director of She Leads Justice, a nonprofit that advocates for women in Connecticut.

“Workers who lack access to paid sick days, also tend to work jobs that don’t pay livable wages, or have predictable schedules,” Woods Weber said. “So not being forced to choose between their paychecks and taking off a day or two to recover from an illness also helps to protect their economic security.”

Connecticut’s largest business organization, CBIA, said the high number of open jobs is already making private companies seriously examine employee pay and benefits.

“Companies that can’t offer paid time off are at a significant disadvantage,” Ashley Zane, senior public