Should businesses be required to pay their workers when they call in sick?

Lawmakers in California are fighting to make their state the first in the country to make paid sick leave mandatory.

"We are not robots," said Fiona Ma. "We all get sick. If we get sick, we should have the

opportunity to rest and recuperate."

Most larger companies already provide paid sick leave. But California Democrats want to require five to nine days of annual sick leave for everyone, depending on the size of the company.

Small business owners say they can not afford it.

"That could mean lowering wages," explained business owner Alzada Knickerbocker. "It could mean not having as many staff. It could mean cutting hours. It could mean cutting other benefits."

"Too many employees, in effect, would take that just as a vacation day," said owner Mark Wyland.

Republicans in California say mandatory sick leave would cost the state hundreds of thousands of jobs.