The Illinois General Assembly passed the “Paid Leave for All Workers Act” this week, guaranteeing workers can earn up to 40 hours of paid leave per year.
Under the terms of the bill, full and part-time workers can earn up to one week’s worth of paid time off per year, and that time off can be carried over if it isn’t all used.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued a statement in support of the bill Wednesday.
“I’m proud to say that the General Assembly has recognized that struggle and passed a bill guaranteeing five days of paid leave for all employees in our state,” Pritzker said in a statement. “Working families face enough challenges without the concern of losing a day’s pay when life gets in the way.”
Under the terms of SB 208, leave can be used for any reason. Employers may also offer more paid leave time, according to bill proponents.
Employees may begin to use the paid leave beginning on their 90th day of employment, according to a press release from the Illinois Senate Democrats.
Employers can still require employees to give notice before taking time off.
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Deputy Majority Leader Jehan Gordon-Booth was instrumental in ushering the legislation through the General Assembly, according to officials.
“Today is a proud moment for our state as we celebrate creating paid leave laws across Illinois,” Gordon-Booth said. “More than 11 million hardworking Illinoisans will have access to paid leave at their place of employment that they once did not have.”
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In a press release, the majority leader praised labor groups, including the Illinois AFL-CIO and SEIU, as well as the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce and the Illinois Manufacturer’s Association.
This story has been updated to clarify that Gov. Pritzker in January issued a statement in support of the bill. He is scheduled to sign the bill Mar. 13.
