HB3908eng 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB3908 Engrossed LRB103 29765 SPS 56171 b

AN ACT concerning employment.

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

Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Firefighter Paid Family Leave Act.

Section 5. Definitions. As used in this Act, "firefighter" has the meaning set forth in Section 4-106 of the Illinois Pension Code. "Firefighter" includes an individual eligible to participate in a fund established under under Article 4 of the Illinois Pension Code, an individual who is not eligible to participate in a fund established under Article 4 who is employed on a full-time basis as a firefighter or paramedic, and a firefighter paramedic who is employed by a municipality or fire protection district to perform duties as a paramedic, emergency medical technician (EMT), emergency medical technician basic (EMT-B), emergency medical technician-intermediate (EMT-I), or advanced emergency medical technician (A-EMT).

Section 10. Paid family leave.

(a) A firefighter shall receive 6 weeks of paid family leave that may be used for the following:

(1) for the birth of a child and to care for a newborn child;

(2) to care for a newly adopted child under 18 years of age, a newly placed foster child under 18 years of age, or a newly adopted or placed foster child older than 18 years of age if the child is incapable of self-care because of a mental or physical disability; and

(3) to care for a family member with a serious health condition.

(b) An employer shall reasonably accommodate additional physical recovery time for a firefighter returning from leave used for the purpose described in paragraph (1) of subsection (a), including light-duty assignments or an agreed to reassignment of duties until the firefighter is able to return to full duties.

Section 15. Limitations. The paid family leave requirements established by this Act shall be provided to a firefighter who has been employed by an employer for at least one year, regardless of the employer's leave policies.

Section 20. Waiver. A firefighter may voluntarily waive the paid family leave requirement established by this Act by returning to work before the 6 weeks of leave have elapsed or by declining, in writing, to accept the paid family leave.