February 2024 Legal Updates

INFINITI HR is happy to provide Monthly State Labor Law Updates as a service to our subscribers. These briefs provide a general description and are not meant to be all-inclusive of compliance requirements. This list is not inclusive of all legislative changes for employers across the U.S. Changes may have been addressed in previous updates, which can be accessed from our blog.

Employers are encouraged to work with their Inspiring HR Consultant before making policy changes to capture the full requirements of these laws.

Some of the notable recent and upcoming state changes in this issue are as follows:

ILLINOIS

Cook County, IL Paid Leave for All Workers – Effective December 31, 2023

Effective December 31, 2023, any employer with employees working in Cook County will be required to provide their employees with paid leave.

• Employers must provide employees with 1 hour of paid leave for every 40 hours worked.

• The paid leave will be able to be used for any purpose and employees will not be required to provide a reason for leave or documentation of the need for leave;
• However, employees may be required to provide seven days’ notice if the need for leave is foreseeable.
• Employers will be required to post a notice in physical or electronic format summarizing the requirements of the ordinance or face stiff monetary penalties. Enforcement of the ordinance will not begin until February 2024.

Illinois Transit Commuter Pre-Tax Benefits & Paid Leave Reminder – Effective January 1, 2024

On 1/1/2024, employers with 50 or more employees in Illinois must allow employees who commute to work on public transportation to set aside pre-tax dollars to cover commuting costs. This benefit must be offered to employees working 35 hours per week or more, starting on the employee’s first full pay period after 120 days of employment. This ordinance covers commuters several different counties/townships.

Illinois – State Paid Leave

Effective January 2024, all Illinois employers will be required to provide their employees with paid leave.

• The paid leave will be able to be used for any purpose and employees will not be required to provide a reason for leave or documentation of the need for leave;
• However, employees may be required to provide seven days’ notice if the need for leave is foreseeable.
• Employers will be required to post a notice in physical or electronic format summarizing the requirements of the Act or face stiff monetary penalties. The Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) is developing the notice, which I will forward once it is released.  We expect this posting to be ready close to the end of 2023.

Interested in other current employment trends? Click the link to view the recent blog: Your Listening Era: Employee Engagement Surveys or check back for more on human resources, payroll, insurance, and benefits.

This article does not constitute legal advice, and there are subtle variations in employment law as it pertains to these topics, depending on where your business operates. It is strongly suggested that you seek consultation or legal counsel before