Advocates for workers’ and womens’ rights are confidently telling the public that now is the time to pass a law guaranteeing paid sick days to all Americans who work. The issue has substantial momentum; 18 cities and three states have passed paid sick leave laws, most just in the past few years.

Even so, advocates weren’t expecting 15 Republicans to vote in favor of giving all American workers the chance to earn paid sick days, as they did last month.

That vote was non-binding, part of the Senate’s annual “vote-a-thon” budget resolution. But the proposal got 61 votes, a filibuster-proof majority—and now Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) is determined to push her colleagues to translate that symbolic support into votes on the Healthy Families Act.

Murray, on a call Thursday with paid sick days advocates and coalition members, said that she is using “every avenue” available to her to build support for passing the Healthy Families Act.

She is pushing Republicans, especially the 15 who voted for the proposal in the budget resolution, to include the bill in the Senate’s budget conference report. That document outlines the priorities senators will fight for as they conference with House members on the budget.

Murray said she plans to keep speaking out on the Senate floor about the issue, and has launched a new online tool that helps people share stories about why paid sick leave is important to them and their families.

The Healthy Families Act, if passed, would allow working people to earn up to seven job-protected paid sick days per year, if they work at a company with more than 15 employees.

People who work at smaller businesses would be guaranteed seven unpaid days off to care for themselves or a family member without risk of losing their job. Victims of domestic violence could also use those paid days off to deal with issues relating to their abuse.

Research indicates that paid sick days improve worker retention and could save $160 billion per year. Paid sick days are also important to public health, advocates say, given that three-quarters of food service and hotel workers don’t have paid sick days.

It’s not clear how many Republicans who voted for paid sick days in the budget resolution would take the extra step to vote for the Healthy Families Act. They might be content to vote for a Republican alternative that would make people trade overtime pay for paid sick leave.

But it could be a sign of the popularity of Murray’s bill that Patrick Toomey (R-PA) and Ron Johnson (R-WI), both considered vulnerable in 2016, changed their votes to yes at the last minute.

“I think that people who are in contested elections understand that voters don’t want to see votes against paid sick days,” said Ellen Bravo, executive director of the Family Values @ Work coalition. “And so we hope to build on that momentum.”

Vicki Shabo, vice president of the National Partnership for Women and Families, praised Murray for “raising the profile” of the paid sick days issue.

Momentum also seems to be building within the advocacy community, which has been key to winning some of the more recent local paid sick days fights.

“More people are waking up, more people are speaking out,” said Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, co-founder of MomsRising, noting that her organization’s member engagement has doubled in the past year. “More people are sharing their stories, contacting elected leaders, and taking action to update our outdated workplace policies.”

“When it comes to paid leave, it’s clear that progress is inevitable,” Shabo said. “The pro-worker and pro-business evidence is in, and the public need and demand is clear.”

Paid sick days could be a matter of life and death for some.

Candice Hemphill, a retail worker from Tukwila, Washington, said on last week’s call that she has compromised immunity after a kidney transplant. A week-long cold for a normal person could affect her for months, or even send her to the emergency room.

Hemphill said her workplace has no paid sick days, and that workers are disciplined even for taking unpaid time off to see a doctor. As a result, people often feel forced to come in when they should be staying home.

“When my coworkers come in coughing, sick, or their children are sick and they have to come to work, that puts my life at risk,” Hemphill said.