Workers in Illinois would be entitled to five paid days of leave under a bill passed by lawmakers this week.
State Senator Kimberly Lightford of Maywood says as many as one and a half million workers in Illinois do not get any time off to take care of personal needs.
“Imagine you are down with the flu, have a bad cold, or even Covid and you are one of these millions of people. You have to consider either the possibility of getting your co-workers sick, or not being able to put food on the table.”
Representative C.D. Davidsmeyer of Jacksonville voted against the measure.
“My major concern is the little guys. It’s the mom and pops that have 5, 10, maybe 13 employees. This is a significant impact on their budgets.”
Workers would be allowed to use the paid leave for any reason and up to 40 hours of unused time could be carried over annually.
The law, if signed by the Governor, will go into effect January 1st, 2024.
