Moving company owner Michael Stamm thinks if New Hampshire wants to mandate paid sick days for his business, New Hampshire should pay for them, not him.

Stamm, owner of Starving Artists Movers in Concord, employs 15-17 full- and part-time workers over the course of a year. His company would be mandated to provide three paid sick days under a bill being considered by state lawmakers.

Stamm said he'll consider paying workers less if he has to absorb sick pay costs.

"It would put more pressure on an already shrinking margin," he said.

State Rep. John Knowles, a Hudson Democrat who led the subcommittee that worked on the sick leave bill, hears Stamm's concern about government mandates.

"But sometimes government does things for the benefit of all the people not just a particular individual," he said. "I think this is one of those times."

Nearly 216,000 New Hampshire private-sector workers lack paid sick days, or about 42 percent of the work force, according to a study by the Institute for Women's Policy Research. Nationally, roughly one-third of workers don't have paid sick leave, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

At least a dozen states have considered bills in the last year mandating paid sick leave. Maine's Senate president announced last month she plans to introduce legislation for next year's session. The bill would entitle employees of larger businesses _ those with 25 or more workers _ to up to six paid sick days a year. Smaller businesses would be guaranteed three days. Employees would have to accrue the time.

San Francisco and Washington, D.C., require some employers to provide the paid leave days, and Congress is considering federal legislation to do the same.

If federal and state laws are enacted, New Hampshire will enforce the stricter of the two, said state Labor Commissioner George Copadis.

The push for expanded sick benefits comes amid a swine and seasonal flu season that has health officials making frequent pleas for those who are sick to stay at home.

Stamm acknowledges his workers _ like many without paid sick leave _ come to work sick to avoid losing pay. Knowles believes the minimal benefit mandated by the bill would protect the public from serious contagious diseases like the flu.