State of Illinois
92nd General Assembly
Legislation

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92_SB1941

 
                                               LRB9215728WHcs

 1        AN ACT concerning employment.

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

 4        Section 1.  Short title. This Act may  be  cited  as  the
 5    Family Illness Sick Leave Act.

 6        Section 5.  Definitions. As used in this Act:
 7        "Child"  means  a biological, foster, or adopted child, a
 8    stepchild, a legal ward, or a child of a person  standing  in
 9    loco parentis.
10        "Employer"  means  any person employing another under any
11    appointment or contract of hire and includes the State, State
12    agencies and  instrumentalities, units of  local  government,
13    and school districts.
14        "Parent"  means a biological, foster, or adoptive parent,
15    a stepparent, or a legal guardian.
16        "Sick leave"  means  accrued  increments  of  compensated
17    leave  provided by an employer to an employee as a benefit of
18    the employment for use by the employee during an absence from
19    the employment for any of the following reasons:
20             (A)  The employee is physically or  mentally  unable
21        to perform his or her duties due to illness, injury, or a
22        medical condition of the employee.
23             (B)  The  absence  is  for  the purpose of obtaining
24        professional  diagnosis  or  treatment  for   a   medical
25        condition of the employee.
26             (C)  The absence is for other medical reasons of the
27        employee,  such  as  pregnancy  or  obtaining  a physical
28        examination.
29        "Sick leave" does not include any benefit provided  under
30    an  employee  welfare  benefit  plan  subject  to the federal
31    Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974  (Public  Law
 
                            -2-                LRB9215728WHcs
 1    93-406,  as  amended)  and  does  not  include  any insurance
 2    benefit, workers' compensation benefit,  disability  benefit,
 3    or benefit not payable from the employer's general assets.

 4        Section 10.  Sick leave; family illness. Any employer who
 5    provides  sick  leave for  employees shall permit an employee
 6    to use in  any  calendar  year  the  employee's  accrued  and
 7    available  sick leave entitlement, in an amount not less than
 8    the sick leave that would be accrued during 6 months  at  the
 9    employee's  then current rate of entitlement, to attend to an
10    illness of a child, parent, or spouse of  the  employee.  All
11    conditions  and  restrictions placed by the employer upon the
12    use by an employee of sick leave also apply to the use by  an
13    employee  of sick leave to attend to an illness of his or her
14    child, parent, or spouse. This Section does  not  extend  the
15    maximum  period  of  leave  to  which an employee is entitled
16    under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act  of  1993  (29
17    U.S.C.  2606  et  seq.),  regardless  of whether the employee
18    receives sick leave compensation during that leave.

19        Section 15.  Violations; remedies.
20        (a)  No employer may deny an employee the  right  to  use
21    sick  leave  or  discharge,  threaten  to  discharge, demote,
22    suspend, or in any manner discriminate  against  an  employee
23    for  using,  or attempting to exercise the right to use, sick
24    leave to attend to an illness of a child, parent,  or  spouse
25    of the employee.
26        (b)  Any  employee  aggrieved  by  a  violation  of  this
27    Section shall be entitled to reinstatement and actual damages
28    or  one  day's  pay, whichever is greater, and to appropriate
29    equitable relief.
30        (c)  Upon the filing of a complaint by an  employee,  the
31    Department  of  Labor shall enforce this Act in under Section
32    20. Alternatively, an employee may bring a civil  action  for
 
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 1    the  remedies  provided by this Section in the circuit court.
 2    If the employee prevails,  the  court  may  award  reasonable
 3    attorney's fees.
 4        (d)  The  rights  and  remedies specified in this Act are
 5    cumulative and nonexclusive and are in addition to any  other
 6    rights  or  remedies  afforded  by  contract  or  under other
 7    provisions of law.

 8        Section  20.  Administrative  enforcement.  An   employee
 9    seeking  relief under this Act may, within one year after the
10    alleged violation occurs, files a complaint with the Director
11    of Labor. A copy of the complaint shall be sent to the person
12    who allegedly committed  the  violation,  who  shall  be  the
13    respondent.  Upon receipt of an complaint, the Director shall
14    cause such investigation to be made  as  the  Director  deems
15    appropriate.  The  investigation shall provide an opportunity
16    for a public hearing at the  request  of  any  party  to  the
17    review  to enable the parties to present information relating
18    to the alleged violation. The parties shall be given  written
19    notice  of  the time and place of the hearing at least 5 days
20    before  the  hearing.  Upon  receiving  the  report  of   the
21    investigation,  the  Director shall make findings of fact. If
22    the Director finds that a violation  did  occur,  he  or  she
23    shall  issue a decision incorporating his or her findings and
24    requiring the party committing the  violation  to  take  such
25    affirmative  action  to  abate  the violation as the Director
26    deems appropriate. If the Director finds that  there  was  no
27    violation,  the  Director  shall  issue  an order denying the
28    application. An order  issued  by  the  Director  under  this
29    Section  shall  be  subject  to  judicial  review  under  the
30    Administrative Review Law.

31        Section  25.  Rules.  The  Director  of Labor shall adopt
32    rules implementing this Act in accordance with  the  Illinois
 
                            -4-                LRB9215728WHcs
 1    Administrative Procedure Act.

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