On January 1, several new laws went into effect in Illinois. Certain ones may prove beneficial to you and your family—i.e. the Employee Sick Leave Act—especially if you are the custodial parent of your children or are responsible for caring for a close family member.
What is the Employee Sick Leave Act: In summary, the Employee Sick Leave Act states that an employee is allowed to use his or her personal sick leave benefits, provided by his or her employer, for illness, injury, or for a medical appointment for his or her child, spouse, sibling, parent, mother-in-law, father-in-law, grandchild, grandparent, or stepparent. All Illinois employers who provide personal sick leave benefits to their employees are covered by the act.
How the new law changes the old law: Changes to the Employee Sick Leave Act now have the ability to eliminate the short or long-term disability plan known as the "personal sick leave benefits." The law also states that places of employment which have policies that provide the required leave do not have to modify the policies which are already put into place. The last action taken on this bill was August 19, 2016, when it was sent to the house.
A few restrictions: An employee may not be absent from work for too long. If an employee chooses to use his or her sick leave benefits as a means to be available for a loved one, then the employee must only be gone for a reasonable amount time, and then the employee's attendance at work may be necessary.
News about additional laws: As of January 1, nearly 200 new Illinois laws, which were passed by the General Assembly and signed by the governor of Illinois, went into effect. The complete list of new laws can be discovered online. The list was created based on each law's importance to the local public and specifically how the laws impact key issues in Illinois such as safety, ethics, workers' wages, criminal justice reform, and benefits.
Speak with a Skilled Family Law Attorney Today
If you are interested in learning more about the new laws which may affect you, or would like to discuss another family law matter with a lawyer, please contact an experienced DuPage County family law attorney by calling Roscich & Martel Law Firm, LLC at (630) 793-6337. Contact us to schedule a confidential consultation today or visit our website for more information.
Sources:
http://abc7chicago.com/politics/new-laws-2017-illinois-laws-that-take-effect-january-1/1665227/
http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocTypeID=HB&DocNum=6162&GAID=13&SessionID=88&LegID=95699
http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=3735&ChapterID=68&Print=True