Bill Text: IL SB2853 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Amends the Paid Leave for All Workers Act. Provides that a unit of local government, including a home rule unit, shall not exempt any employee from the scope of a paid leave ordinance unless the employee is excluded from the definition of employee in the Act. Limits home rule powers.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-06-26 - Pursuant to Senate Rule 3-9(b) / Referred to Assignments [SB2853 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-SB2853-Introduced.html

103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
SB2853

Introduced 1/19/2024, by Sen. Ann Gillespie

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
820 ILCS 192/15

Amends the Paid Leave for All Workers Act. Provides that a unit of local government, including a home rule unit, shall not exempt any employee from the scope of a paid leave ordinance unless the employee is excluded from the definition of employee in the Act. Limits home rule powers.
LRB103 37506 SPS 67629 b

A BILL FOR

SB2853LRB103 37506 SPS 67629 b
1 AN ACT concerning employment.
2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
4 Section 5. The Paid Leave for All Workers Act is amended by
5changing Section 15 as follows:
6 (820 ILCS 192/15)
7 Sec. 15. Provision of paid leave.
8 (a) An employee who works in Illinois is entitled to earn
9and use up to a minimum of 40 hours of paid leave during a
1012-month period or a pro rata number of hours of paid leave
11under the provisions of subsection (b). The paid leave may be
12used by the employee for any purpose as long as the paid leave
13is taken in accordance with the provisions of this Act.
14 (b) Paid leave under this Act shall accrue at the rate of
15one hour of paid leave for every 40 hours worked up to a
16minimum of 40 hours of paid leave or such greater amount if the
17employer provides more than 40 hours. Employees who are exempt
18from the overtime requirements of the federal Fair Labor
19Standards Act (29 U.S.C. 213(a)(1)) shall be deemed to work 40
20hours in each workweek for purposes of paid leave accrual
21unless their regular workweek is less than 40 hours, in which
22case paid leave accrues based on that regular workweek.
23Employees shall determine how much paid leave they need to

SB2853- 2 -LRB103 37506 SPS 67629 b
1use, however employers may set a reasonable minimum increment
2for the use of paid leave not to exceed 2 hours per day. If an
3employee's scheduled workday is less than 2 hours per day, the
4employee's scheduled workday shall be used to determine the
5amount of paid leave.
6 (c) An employer may make available the minimum number of
7hours of paid leave, subject to pro rata requirements provided
8in subsection (b), to an employee on the first day of
9employment or the first day of the 12-month period. Employers
10that provide the minimum number of hours of paid leave to an
11employee on the first day of employment or the first day of the
1212-month period are not required to carryover paid leave from
1312-month period to 12-month period and may require employees
14to use all paid leave prior to the end of the benefit period or
15forfeit the unused paid leave. However, under no circumstances
16shall an employee be credited with paid leave that is less than
17what the employee would have accrued under subsections (a) and
18(g) of this Section.
19 (d) The 12-month period may be any consecutive 12-month
20period designated by the employer in writing at the time of
21hire. Changes to the 12-month period may be made by the
22employer if notice is given to employees in writing prior to
23the change and the change does not reduce the eligible accrual
24rate and paid leave available to the employee. If the employer
25changes the designated 12-month period, the employer shall
26provide the employee with documentation of the balance of

SB2853- 3 -LRB103 37506 SPS 67629 b
1hours worked, paid leave accrued and taken, and the remaining
2paid leave balance.
3 (e) Paid leave under this Act may be taken by an employee
4for any reason of the employee's choosing. An employee is not
5required to provide an employer a reason for the leave and may
6not be required to provide documentation or certification as
7proof or in support of the leave. An employee may choose
8whether to use paid leave provided under this Act prior to
9using any other leave provided by the employer or State law.
10 (f) Employees shall be paid their hourly rate of pay for
11paid leave. However, employees engaged in an occupation in
12which gratuities or commissions have customarily and usually
13constituted and have been recognized as part of the
14remuneration for hire purposes shall be paid by their employer
15at least the full minimum wage in the jurisdiction in which
16they are employed when paid leave is taken. This wage shall be
17treated as the employee's regular rate of pay for purposes of
18this Act.
19 (g) Paid leave under this Act shall begin to accrue at the
20commencement of employment or on the effective date of this
21Act, whichever is later. Employees shall be entitled to begin
22using paid leave 90 days following commencement of their
23employment or 90 days following the effective date of this
24Act, whichever is later.
25 (h) Paid leave under this Act shall be provided upon the
26oral or written request of an employee in accordance with the

SB2853- 4 -LRB103 37506 SPS 67629 b
1employer's reasonable paid leave policy notification
2requirements which may include the following:
3 (1) If use of paid leave under this Act is
4 foreseeable, the employer may require the employee to
5 provide 7 calendar days' notice before the date the leave
6 is to begin.
7 (2) If paid leave under this Act is not foreseeable,
8 the employee shall provide such notice as soon as is
9 practicable after the employee is aware of the necessity
10 of the leave. An employer that requires notice of paid
11 leave under this Act when the leave is not foreseeable
12 shall provide a written policy that contains procedures
13 for the employee to provide notice.
14 (3) Employers shall provide employees with written
15 notice of the paid leave policy notification requirements
16 in this Section in the manner provided in Section 20 for
17 notice and posting and within 5 calendar days of any
18 change to the employer's reasonable paid leave policy
19 notification requirements.
20 (4) An employer may not require, as a condition of
21 providing paid leave under this Act, that the employee
22 search for or find a replacement worker to cover the hours
23 during which the employee takes paid leave.
24 (i) Except as provided in subsection (c), paid leave under
25this Act shall carry over annually to the extent not used by
26the employee, provided that nothing in this Act shall be

SB2853- 5 -LRB103 37506 SPS 67629 b
1construed to require an employer to provide more than 40 hours
2of paid leave for an employee in the 12-month period unless the
3employer agrees to do so.
4 (j) Nothing in this Section or any other Illinois law or
5rule shall be construed as requiring financial or other
6payment to an employee from an employer upon the employee's
7termination, resignation, retirement, or other separation from
8employment for paid leave accrued under this Act that has not
9been used. Nothing in this Section or any other Illinois law or
10rule shall be construed as requiring financial or other
11reimbursements to an employee from an employer for unused paid
12leave under this Act at the end of the benefit year or any
13other time.
14 (k) If an employee is transferred to a separate division,
15entity, or location, but remains employed by the same
16employer, the employee is entitled to all paid leave accrued
17at the prior division, entity, or location and is entitled to
18use all paid leave as provided in this Section. If there is a
19separation from employment and the employee is rehired within
2012 months of separation by the same employer, previously
21accrued paid leave that had not been used by the employee shall
22be reinstated. The employee shall be entitled to use accrued
23paid leave at the commencement of employment following a
24separation from employment of 12 months or less.
25 (l) Paid leave under this Act shall not be charged or
26otherwise credited to an employee's paid time off bank or

SB2853- 6 -LRB103 37506 SPS 67629 b
1employee account unless the employer's policy permits such a
2credit. If the paid leave under this Act is credited to an
3employee's paid time off bank or employee vacation account
4then any unused paid leave shall be paid to the employee upon
5the employee's termination, resignation, retirement, or other
6separation to the same extent as vacation time under existing
7Illinois law or rule. Nothing in this Act shall be construed to
8waive or otherwise limit an employee's right to final
9compensation for promised and earned, but unpaid vacation time
10or paid time off, as provided under the Illinois Wage Payment
11and Collection Act and rules. Employers shall provide
12employees with written notice of changes to the employer's
13vacation time, paid time off, or other paid leave policies
14that affect an employee's right to final compensation for such
15leave.
16 (m) During any period an employee takes leave under this
17Act, the employer shall maintain coverage for the employee and
18any family member under any group health plan for the duration
19of such leave at no less than the level and conditions of
20coverage that would have been provided if the employee had not
21taken the leave. The employer shall notify the employee that
22the employee is still responsible for paying the employee's
23share of the cost of the health care coverage, if any.
24 (n) Nothing in this Act shall be deemed to interfere with,
25impede, or in any way diminish the right of employees to
26bargain collectively with their employers through

SB2853- 7 -LRB103 37506 SPS 67629 b
1representatives of their own choosing in order to establish
2wages or other conditions of work in excess of the applicable
3minimum standards established in this Act. The paid leave
4requirements of this Act may be waived in a bona fide
5collective bargaining agreement, but only if the waiver is set
6forth explicitly in such agreement in clear and unambiguous
7terms.
8 Nothing in this Act shall be deemed to affect the validity
9or change the terms of bona fide collective bargaining
10agreements in effect on January 1, 2024. After that date,
11requirements of this Act may be waived in a bona fide
12collective bargaining agreement, but only if the waiver is set
13forth explicitly in such agreement in clear and unambiguous
14terms.
15 In no event shall this Act apply to any employee working in
16the construction industry who is covered by a bona fide
17collective bargaining agreement, nor shall this Act apply to
18any employee who is covered by a bona fide collective
19bargaining agreement with an employer that provides services
20nationally and internationally of delivery, pickup, and
21transportation of parcels, documents, and freight.
22 Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, nothing
23in this Act shall be deemed to affect the validity or change
24the terms of a bona fide collective bargaining agreement
25applying to an employee who is employed by a State agency that
26is in effect on July 1, 2024. After that date, requirements of

SB2853- 8 -LRB103 37506 SPS 67629 b
1this Act may be waived in a bona fide collective bargaining
2agreement, but only if the waiver is set forth explicitly in
3such agreement in clear and unambiguous terms. As used in this
4subsection, "State agency" has the same meaning as set forth
5in Section 4 of the Forms Notice Act.
6 (o) An agreement by an employee to waive his or her rights
7under this Act is void as against public policy.
8 (p) The provisions of this Act shall not apply to any
9employer that is covered by a municipal or county ordinance
10that is in effect on the effective date of this Act that
11requires employers to give any form of paid leave to their
12employees, including paid sick leave or paid leave.
13Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, any
14employer that is not required to provide paid leave to its
15employees, including paid sick leave or paid leave, under a
16municipal or county ordinance that is in effect on the
17effective date of this Act shall be subject to the provisions
18of this Act if the employer would be required to provide paid
19leave under this Act to its employees.
20 Any local ordinance that provides paid leave, including
21paid sick leave or paid leave, enacted or amended after the
22effective date of this Act must comply with the requirements
23of this Act or provide benefits, rights, and remedies that are
24greater than or equal to the benefits, rights, and remedies
25afforded under this Act.
26 An employer in a municipality or county that enacts or

SB2853- 9 -LRB103 37506 SPS 67629 b
feedback