SB0068 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB101 04743 HLH 49752 b

101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2019 and 2020
SB0068

Introduced 1/23/2019, by Sen. Julie A. Morrison

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

35 ILCS 5/704A

Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Provides for a credit against withholding taxes in an amount equal to 25% of the wages or salary paid by a private employer to an Illinois employee while the employee is on organ donation leave if the employer grants all of its employees the option of taking a paid leave of absence of at least 30 days for the purpose of serving as an organ donor or bone marrow donor. Provides that the credit may not exceed $20,833.33 for each employee who takes organ donation leave. Provides that such a leave of absence must be taken without loss of pay, vacation time, compensatory time, personal days, or sick time for at least the first 30 days of the leave of absence. Effective immediately.

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning revenue.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Illinois Income Tax Act is amended by changing Section 704A as follows:

(35 ILCS 5/704A)

Sec. 704A. Employer's return and payment of tax withheld.

(a) In general, every employer who deducts and withholds or is required to deduct and withhold tax under this Act on or after January 1, 2008 shall make those payments and returns as provided in this Section.

(b) Returns. Every employer shall, in the form and manner required by the Department, make returns with respect to taxes withheld or required to be withheld under this Article 7 for each quarter beginning on or after January 1, 2008, on or before the last day of the first month following the close of that quarter.

(c) Payments. With respect to amounts withheld or required to be withheld on or after January 1, 2008:

(1) Semi-weekly payments. For each calendar year, each employer who withheld or was required to withhold more than $12,000 during the one-year period ending on June 30 of the immediately preceding calendar year, payment must be made:

(A) on or before each Friday of the calendar year, for taxes withheld or required to be withheld on the immediately preceding Saturday, Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday;

(B) on or before each Wednesday of the calendar year, for taxes withheld or required to be withheld on the immediately preceding Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday.

Beginning with calendar year 2011, payments made under this paragraph (1) of subsection (c) must be made by electronic funds transfer.

(2) Semi-weekly payments. Any employer who withholds or is required to withhold more than $12,000 in any quarter of a calendar year is required to make payments on the dates set forth under item (1) of this subsection (c) for each remaining quarter of that calendar year and for the subsequent calendar year.

(3) Monthly payments. Each employer, other than an employer described in items (1) or (2) of this subsection, shall pay to the Department, on or before the 15th day of each month the taxes withheld or required to be withheld during the immediately preceding month.

(4) Payments with returns. Each employer shall pay to the Department, on or before the due date for each return required to be filed under this Section, any tax withheld or required to be withheld during the period for which the return is due and not previously paid to the Department.

(d) Regulatory authority. The Department may, by rule:

(1) Permit employers, in lieu of the requirements of subsections (b) and (c), to file annual returns due on or before January 31 of the year for taxes withheld or required to be withheld during the previous calendar year and, if the aggregate amounts required to be withheld by the employer under this Article 7 (other than amounts required to be withheld under Section 709.5) do not exceed $1,000 for the previous calendar year, to pay the taxes required to be shown on each such return no later than the due date for such return.

(2) Provide that any payment required to be made under subsection (c)(1) or (c)(2) is deemed to be timely to the extent paid by electronic funds transfer on or before the due date for deposit of federal income taxes withheld from, or federal employment taxes due with respect to, the wages from which the Illinois taxes were withheld.

(3) Designate one or more depositories to which payment of taxes required to be withheld under this Article 7 must be paid by some or all employers.

(4) Increase the threshold dollar amounts at which employers are required to make semi-weekly payments under subsection (c)(1) or (c)(2).

(e) Annual return and payment. Every employer who deducts and withholds or is required to deduct and withhold tax from a person engaged in domestic service employment, as that term is defined in Section 3510 of the Internal Revenue Code, may comply with the requirements of this Section with respect to such employees by filing an annual return and paying the taxes required to be deducted and withheld on or before the 15th day of the fourth month following the close of the employer's taxable year. The Department may allow the employer's return to be submitted with the employer's individual income tax return or to be submitted with a return due from the employer under Section 1400.2 of the Unemployment Insurance Act.

(f) Magnetic media and electronic filing. With respect to taxes withheld in calendar years prior to 2017, any W-2 Form that, under the Internal Revenue Code and regulations promulgated thereunder, is required to be submitted to the Internal Revenue Service on magnetic media or electronically must also be submitted to the Department on magnetic media or electronically for Illinois purposes, if required by the Department.

With respect to taxes withheld in 2017 and subsequent calendar years, the Department may, by rule, require that any return (including any amended return) under this Section and any W-2 Form that is required to be submitted to the Department must be submitted on magnetic media or electronically.

The due date for submitting W-2 Forms shall be as prescribed by the Department by rule.

(g) For amounts deducted or withheld after December 31, 2009, a taxpayer who makes an election under subsection (f) of Section 5-15 of the Economic Development for a Growing Economy Tax Credit Act for a taxable year shall be allowed a credit against payments due under this Section for amounts withheld during the first calendar year beginning after the end of that taxable year equal to the amount of the credit for the incremental income tax attributable to full-time employees of the taxpayer awarded to the taxpayer by the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity under the Economic Development for a Growing Economy Tax Credit Act for the taxable year and credits not previously claimed and allowed to be carried forward under Section 211(4) of this Act as provided in subsection (f) of Section 5-15 of the Economic Development for a Growing Economy Tax Credit Act. The credit or credits may not reduce the taxpayer's obligation for any payment due under this Section to less than zero. If the amount of the credit or credits exceeds the total payments due under this Section with respect to amounts withheld during the calendar year, the excess may be carried forward and applied against the taxpayer's liability under this Section in the succeeding calendar years as allowed to be carried forward under paragraph (4) of Section 211 of this Act. The credit or credits shall be applied to the earliest year for which there is a tax liability. If there are credits from more than one taxable year that are available to offset a liability, the earlier credit shall be applied first. Each employer who deducts and withholds or is required to deduct and withhold tax under this Act and who retains income tax withholdings under subsection (f) of Section 5-15 of the Economic Development for a Growing Economy Tax Credit Act must make a return with respect to such taxes and retained amounts in the form and manner that the Department, by rule, requires and pay to the Department or to a depositary designated by the Department those withheld taxes not retained by the taxpayer. For purposes of this subsection (g), the term taxpayer shall include taxpayer and members of the taxpayer's unitary business group as defined under paragraph (27) of subsection (a) of Section 1501 of this Act. This Section is exempt from the provisions of Section 250 of this Act. No credit awarded under the Economic Development for a Growing Economy Tax Credit Act for agreements entered into on or after January 1, 2015 may be credited against payments due under this Section.

(h) An employer may claim a credit against payments due under this Section for amounts withheld during the first calendar year ending after the date on which a tax credit certificate was issued under Section 35 of the Small Business Job Creation Tax Credit Act. The credit shall be equal to the amount shown on the certificate, but may not reduce the taxpayer's obligation for any payment due under this Section to less than zero. If the amount of the credit exceeds the total payments due under this Section with respect to amounts withheld during the calendar year, the excess may be carried forward and applied against the taxpayer's liability under this Section in the 5 succeeding calendar years. The credit shall be applied to the earliest year for which there is a tax liability. If there are credits from more than one calendar year that are available to offset a liability, the earlier credit shall be applied first. This Section is exempt from the provisions of Section 250 of this Act.

(i) If a private employer grants all of its employees the option of taking a paid leave of absence of at least 30 days for the purpose of serving as an organ donor or bone marrow donor, then the private employer may take a credit against the payments due under this Section in an amount equal to 25% of the wages or salary paid to an Illinois employee while the employee is on organ donation leave, not to exceed $20,833.33 for each employee who takes organ donation leave. To be eligible for the credit, such a leave of absence must be taken without loss of pay, vacation time, compensatory time, personal days, or sick time for at least the first 30 days of the leave of absence. The private employer is encouraged to adopt rules governing organ donation leave, including rules that (i) establish conditions and procedures for requesting and approving leave and (ii) require medical documentation of the proposed organ or bone marrow donation before leave is approved by the private employer. The credit under this subsection (i) shall be taken within one year after the date upon which the organ donation leave begins.

Nothing in this subsection (i) prohibits a private employer from providing an unpaid leave of absence to its employees for the purpose of serving as an organ donor or bone marrow donor; however, if the employer's policy provides for fewer than 30 days of paid leave for organ or bone marrow donation, then the employer shall not be eligible for the credit under this Section.

As used in this subsection (i):

"Organ" means any biological tissue of the human body that may be donated by a living donor, including, but not limited to, the kidney, liver, lung, pancreas, intestine, bone, skin, or any subpart of those organs.

"Organ donor" means a person from whose body an organ is taken to be transferred to the body of another person.

"Private employer" means a sole proprietorship, corporation, partnership, limited liability company, or other entity with one or more employees. "Private employer" does not include a municipality, county, State agency, or other public employer.

This subsection (i) is exempt from the provisions of Section 250 of this Act.

(Source: P.A. 100-303, eff. 8-24-17; 100-511, eff. 9-18-17; 100-863, eff. 8-14-18.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.