SB1627eng 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB1627 Engrossed LRB094 10133 RXD 40395 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 Family Military Leave Act.

Section 5. Definitions. In this Act:

"Employee" means any person who may be permitted, required, or directed by an employer in consideration of direct or indirect gain or profit to engage in any employment. "Employee" does include an independent contractor. "Employee" includes an employee of a covered employer who has been employed by the same employer for at least 12 months, and has been employed for at least 1,250 hours of service during the 12-month period immediately preceding the commencement of the leave.

"Employee benefits" means all benefits, other than salary and wages, provided or made available to employees by an employer and includes group life insurance, health insurance, disability insurance and pensions, regardless of whether benefits are provided by a policy or practice of an employer.

"Employer" means (1) any person, sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, association or other business entity that employs 15 or more employees in the State; and (2) the State of Illinois, municipalities and other units of local government.

"Family military leave" means leave requested by an employee who is the spouse or parent of a person called to military service lasting longer than 30 days with the State or United States pursuant to the orders of the Governor or the President of the United States.

Section 10. Family Military Leave Requirement.

(a) An employee as defined under Section 5 of this Act is entitled to up to 30 days of unpaid family military leave during the time federal or State deployment orders are in effect, subject to the conditions set forth in this Section. Family military leave granted under this Act may consist of unpaid leave.

(b) The employee shall give at least 14 days notice of the intended date upon which the family military leave will commence if leave will consist of 5 or more consecutive work days. Employees taking military family leave for less than 5 consecutive days shall give the employer advanced notice as is practicable. The employer may require certification from the proper military authority to verify the employee's eligibility for the family military leave requested.

(c) An employee shall not take leave as provided under this Act unless he or she has exhausted all accrued vacation leave, personal leave, compensatory leave, and any other leave that may be granted to the employee, except sick leave and disability leave.

Section 15. Employee benefits protection.

(a) Any employee who exercises the right to family military leave under this Act, upon expiration of the leave, shall be entitled to be restored by the employer to the position held by the employee when the leave commenced or to a position with equivalent seniority status, employee benefits, pay and other terms and conditions of employment. This Section does not apply if the employer proves that the employee was not restored as provided in this Section because of conditions unrelated to the employee's exercise of rights under this Act.

(b) During any family military leave taken under this Act, the employer shall make it possible for employees to continue their benefits at the employee's expense. The employer and employee may negotiate for the employer to maintain benefits at the employer's expense for the duration of the leave.

Section 20. Effect on existing employee benefits.

(a) Taking family military leave under this Act shall not result in the loss of any employee benefit accrued before the date on which the leave commenced.

(b) Nothing in this Act shall be construed to affect an employer's obligation to comply with any collective bargaining agreement or employee benefit plan that provides greater leave rights to employees than the rights provided under this Act.

(c) The family military leave rights provided under this Act shall not be diminished by any collective bargaining agreement or employee benefit plan.

(d) Nothing in this Act shall be construed to affect or diminish the contract rights or seniority status of any other employee of any employer covered under this Act.

Section 25. Prohibited acts.

(a) An employer shall not interfere with, restrain, or deny the exercise or the attempt to exercise any right provided under this Act.

(b) An employer shall not discharge, fine, suspend, expel, discipline or in any other manner discriminate against any employee that exercises any right provided under this Act.

(c) An employer shall not discharge, fine, suspend, expel, discipline or in any other manner discriminate against any employee for opposing any practice made unlawful by this Act.

Section 30. Enforcement. A civil action may be brought in the circuit court having jurisdiction by an employee to enforce this Act. The circuit court may enjoin any act or practice that violates or may violate this Act and may order any other equitable relief that is necessary and appropriate to redress the violation or to enforce this Act.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.