Rep. Laura Faver Dias

Filed: 4/1/2024

 

 


 

 


 
10300HB5294ham003LRB103 37634 SPS 71459 a

1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 5294

2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 5294 by replacing
3everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4    "Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5Family Neonatal Intensive Care Leave Act.
 
6    Section 5. Definitions. As used in this Act:
7    "Child" means an employee's son or daughter who is a
8biological, adopted, or foster child, a stepchild, a legal
9ward, or a child of a person standing in loco parentis.
10    "Department" means the Department of Labor.
11    "Employee" has the meaning ascribed to that term in
12Section 2 of the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act.
13    "Employer" has the meaning ascribed to that term in
14Section 2 of the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act.
15    "Neonatal intensive care unit" or "NICU" means a special
16care unit that provides medical treatment to premature and

 

 

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1critically ill infants.
 
2    Section 10. Neonatal intensive care family leave.
3    (a) An employee of an employer with 50 or fewer employees
4shall be entitled to use a maximum of 10 days of unpaid
5neonatal intensive care leave while a child of the employee is
6a patient in a neonatal intensive care unit. An employee of an
7employer with more than 51 employees shall be entitled to use
820 days of unpaid neonatal intensive care leave while a child
9of the employee is a patient in a neonatal intensive care unit.
10    (b) An employer shall not require that an employee use
11leave the employee is entitled to under the Family Medical
12Leave Act or any paid leave available to the employee for any
13reason instead of leave the employee is entitled to under this
14Act.
15    (c) An employer shall not require an employee who uses
16unpaid neonatal intensive care leave to provide a replacement
17worker.
18    (d) If an employee takes unpaid neonatal intensive care
19leave under this Section, an employer may require reasonable
20verification of the employee's child's length of stay in a
21neonatal intensive care unit. As part of a reasonable
22verification, an employer shall not request any confidential
23information protected by the Health Insurance Portability and
24Accountability Act of 1996 or other law.
 

 

 

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1    Section 15. Unlawful employer practices.
2    (a) It is unlawful for any employer to take any adverse
3action against an employee because the employee:
4        (1) exercises rights or attempts to exercise rights
5    under this Act;
6        (2) opposes practices which such employee believes to
7    be in violation of this Act; or
8        (3) supports the exercise of rights of another under
9    this Act.
10    (b) Exercising rights under this Act includes filing an
11action or instituting or causing to be instituted any
12proceeding under or related to this Act, providing or agreeing
13to provide any information in connection with any inquiry or
14proceeding relating to any right provided under this Act, or
15testifying to or agreeing to testify in any inquiry or
16proceeding relating to any right provided under this Act.
 
17    Section 20. Department responsibilities.
18    (a) The Department shall administer and enforce this Act
19and adopt rules under the Illinois Administrative Procedure
20Act for the purpose of this Act. The Department shall have the
21powers and the parties shall have the rights provided in the
22Illinois Administrative Procedure Act for contested cases. The
23Department shall have the power to conduct investigations in
24connection with the administration and enforcement of this
25Act, including the power to conduct depositions and discovery

 

 

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1and to issue subpoenas. If the Department finds cause to
2believe that this Act has been violated, the Department shall
3notify the parties in writing and the matter shall be referred
4to an administrative law judge to schedule a formal hearing in
5accordance with hearing procedures established by rule.
6    (b) The Department is authorized to impose civil penalties
7prescribed in Section 25 in administrative proceedings that
8comply with the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act and to
9supervise the payment of the unpaid wages and damages owing to
10the employee or employees under this Act. The Department may
11bring any legal action necessary to recover the amount of
12unpaid wages, damages, and penalties, and the employer shall
13be required to pay the costs. Any sums recovered by the
14Department on behalf of an employee under this Act shall be
15paid to the employee or employees affected. However, 20% of
16any penalty collected from the employer for a violation of
17this Act shall be deposited into the Neonatal Intensive Care
18Leave Fund, a special fund created in the State treasury, and
19used for the enforcement of this Act.
20    (c) The Attorney General may bring an action to enforce
21the collection of any civil penalty imposed under this Act.
 
22    Section 25. Enforcement.
23    (a) An employee who believes his or her rights under this
24Act or any rule adopted under this Act have been violated may,
25within 60 days after the date of the last event constituting

 

 

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1the alleged violation for which the action is brought, file a
2complaint with the Department or file a civil action.
3    (b) An employer that violates any provision of this Act or
4any rule adopted under this Act is subject to a civil penalty
5for each employee affected as follows:
6        (1) for a first offense, a civil penalty not to exceed
7    $500; and
8        (2) for a second or subsequent offense, a civil
9    penalty not to exceed $1,000.
10    (c) A civil action may be brought in the circuit court by
11an employee to enforce this Act. The circuit court may enjoin
12any act or practice that violates or may violate this Act and
13may order any other equitable relief that is necessary and
14appropriate to redress the violation or to enforce the Act.
 
15    Section 90. The State Finance Act is amended by adding
16Section 5.1015 as follows:
 
17    (30 ILCS 105/5.1015 new)
18    Sec. 5.1015. The Neonatal Intensive Care Leave Fund.".