103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
SB2666

 

Introduced 1/10/2024, by Sen. Mike Porfirio

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
820 ILCS 151/1
820 ILCS 151/5
820 ILCS 151/12 new
820 ILCS 151/15
820 ILCS 151/20

    Amends the Family Military Leave Act. Changes the name of the Act to the "Military Leave Act". Provides that an employee may use up to 8 hours per calendar month to participate in a funeral honors detail, up to a total of 40 hours per calendar year, or more if authorized by the employer or if provided for in a collective bargaining agreement. Provides for requirements to take leave for funeral honors details. Provides that an employee that takes leave may do so in lieu of, and without having exhausted, his or her vacation leave, personal leave, compensatory leave, or any other leave that may be granted to the employee, including sick leave and disability leave. Defines terms. Provides that the employer of an employee that takes leave must pay the employee his or her regular rate of pay for the leave taken to participate in a funeral honors detail. Makes conforming changes. Effective immediately.


LRB103 35675 SPS 65750 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

SB2666LRB103 35675 SPS 65750 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 Military Leave Act is amended by changing
5Sections 1, 5, 15, and 20 and by adding Section 12 as follows:
 
6    (820 ILCS 151/1)
7    Sec. 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Family
8Military Leave Act.
9(Source: P.A. 94-589, eff. 8-15-05.)
 
10    (820 ILCS 151/5)
11    Sec. 5. Definitions. In this Act:
12    "Authorized provider" means an individual or group
13recognized by the armed forces, who are not service members or
14employees of the United States government and who augment the
15uniformed members of a military funeral honors detail.
16"Authorized provider" may include, but is not limited to,
17veterans service organizations, trained volunteers of the
18Reserve Officer Training Corps, honor guards, and other
19appropriate individuals and organizations that support the
20rendering of military funeral honors.
21    "Employee" means any person who may be permitted,
22required, or directed by an employer in consideration of

 

 

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1direct or indirect gain or profit to engage in any employment.
2"Employee" does include an independent contractor. "Employee"
3includes an employee of a covered employer who has been
4employed by the same employer for at least 12 months, and has
5been employed for at least 1,250 hours of service during the
612-month period immediately preceding the commencement of the
7leave.
8    "Employee benefits" means all benefits, other than salary
9and wages, provided or made available to employees by an
10employer and includes group life insurance, health insurance,
11disability insurance and pensions, regardless of whether
12benefits are provided by a policy or practice of an employer.
13    "Employer" means (1) any person, partnership, corporation,
14association, or other business entity; and (2) the State of
15Illinois, municipalities and other units of local government.
16    "Family military leave" means leave requested by an
17employee who is the spouse, parent, child, or grandparent of a
18person called to military service lasting longer than 30 days
19with the State or United States pursuant to the orders of the
20Governor or the President of the United States.
21    "Funeral honors detail" means an honor guard detail
22provided for the funeral of any veteran in compliance with 10
23U.S.C. 1491 and any associated federal regulations. A "funeral
24honors detail" consists of at least 2 members of the U.S. Armed
25Forces, one of whom is from the deceased veteran's service
26branch, with the remainder of the detail consisting of members

 

 

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1of the armed forces, whether retired or not, or members of an
2authorized provider. The funeral honors detail performs at the
3funeral a ceremony that includes the folding of a United
4States flag and presentation of the flag to the veteran's
5family and the playing of "Taps".
6    "Veteran" means any person honorably discharged from, or
7released under honorable conditions from active service in,
8the armed forces who served as an eligible member.
9    "Veterans service organization" means an organization that
10is chartered under the Veteran Service Organizations State
11Charter Act or an organization that has been Congressionally
12chartered as a Patriotic and National Organization under 36
13U.S.C. Subtitle II, Part B.
14(Source: P.A. 96-1417, eff. 1-1-11.)
 
15    (820 ILCS 151/12 new)
16    Sec. 12. Paid leave for funeral honors details.
17    (a) This Section applies to employers employing 51 or more
18employees.
19    (b) An employee may use up to 8 hours per calendar month to
20participate in a funeral honors detail, up to a total of 40
21hours per calendar year, or more if authorized by his or her
22employer or if provided for in a collective bargaining
23agreement.
24    (c) An employee qualifies for paid leave under this
25Section if the employee:

 

 

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1        (1) is trained to participate in a funeral honors
2    detail at the funeral of a veteran; and
3        (2) is either:
4            (A) a retired or active member of the armed forces
5        of the United States or a member of a reserve component
6        of the armed forces of the United States, including
7        the Illinois National Guard; or
8            (B) an authorized provider, or a registered member
9        of a nonprofit or other organization that is an
10        authorized provider, including a member of a veterans
11        service organization.
12    (d) An employee taking funeral honors detail leave shall
13give his or her employer reasonable notice, as is practicable.
14    (e) An employer may request a confirmation from the
15relevant veterans service organization that dispatched the
16employee to the funeral honors detail, or any official notice
17provided to the employee in relation to the funeral honors
18detail, that can be used as proof of the employee's
19participation in the detail.
20    (f) An employee that takes leave under this Section may do
21so in lieu of, and without having exhausted, his or her
22vacation leave, personal leave, compensatory leave, or any
23other leave that may be granted to the employee, including
24sick leave and disability leave.
25    (g) An employer of an employee that takes leave under this
26Section must pay the employee his or her regular rate of pay

 

 

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1for the leave taken to participate in a funeral honors detail.
 
2    (820 ILCS 151/15)
3    Sec. 15. Employee benefits protection.
4    (a) Any employee who exercises the right to family
5military leave or funeral honors detail leave under this Act,
6upon expiration of the leave, shall be entitled to be restored
7by the employer to the position held by the employee when the
8leave commenced or to a position with equivalent seniority
9status, employee benefits, pay and other terms and conditions
10of employment. This Section does not apply if the employer
11proves that the employee was not restored as provided in this
12Section because of conditions unrelated to the employee's
13exercise of rights under this Act.
14    (b) During any family military leave or funeral honors
15detail leave taken under this Act, the employer shall make it
16possible for employees to continue their benefits at the
17employee's expense. The employer and employee may negotiate
18for the employer to maintain benefits at the employer's
19expense for the duration of the leave.
20(Source: P.A. 94-589, eff. 8-15-05.)
 
21    (820 ILCS 151/20)
22    Sec. 20. Effect on existing employee benefits.
23    (a) Taking family military any leave under this Act shall
24not result in the loss of any employee benefit accrued before

 

 

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1the date on which the leave commenced.
2    (b) Nothing in this Act shall be construed to affect an
3employer's obligation to comply with any collective bargaining
4agreement or employee benefit plan that provides greater leave
5rights to employees than the rights provided under this Act.
6    (c) The family military leave rights provided under this
7Act shall not be diminished by any collective bargaining
8agreement or employee benefit plan.
9    (d) Nothing in this Act shall be construed to affect or
10diminish the contract rights or seniority status of any other
11employee of any employer covered under this Act.
12(Source: P.A. 94-589, eff. 8-15-05.)
 
13    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
14becoming law.