104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026 SB1670 Introduced 2/5/2025, by Sen. Christopher Belt SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 820 ILCS 154/5820 ILCS 154/10 Amends the Family Bereavement Leave Act. Provides that all employees shall be entitled to use a maximum of one week (5 work days) of unpaid bereavement leave to grieve the death of a covered companion animal. Provides that, in the event of the death of more than one covered companion animal in a 12-month period, an employee is entitled to up to a total of 2 weeks (10 work days) of bereavement leave during the 12-month period. Defines "companion animal". Makes conforming changes. LRB104 06952 SPS 16989 b A BILL FOR 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026 SB1670 Introduced 2/5/2025, by Sen. Christopher Belt SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 820 ILCS 154/5820 ILCS 154/10 820 ILCS 154/5 820 ILCS 154/10 Amends the Family Bereavement Leave Act. Provides that all employees shall be entitled to use a maximum of one week (5 work days) of unpaid bereavement leave to grieve the death of a covered companion animal. Provides that, in the event of the death of more than one covered companion animal in a 12-month period, an employee is entitled to up to a total of 2 weeks (10 work days) of bereavement leave during the 12-month period. Defines "companion animal". Makes conforming changes. LRB104 06952 SPS 16989 b LRB104 06952 SPS 16989 b A BILL FOR
104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026 SB1670 Introduced 2/5/2025, by Sen. Christopher Belt SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
820 ILCS 154/5820 ILCS 154/10 820 ILCS 154/5 820 ILCS 154/10
820 ILCS 154/5
820 ILCS 154/10
Amends the Family Bereavement Leave Act. Provides that all employees shall be entitled to use a maximum of one week (5 work days) of unpaid bereavement leave to grieve the death of a covered companion animal. Provides that, in the event of the death of more than one covered companion animal in a 12-month period, an employee is entitled to up to a total of 2 weeks (10 work days) of bereavement leave during the 12-month period. Defines "companion animal". Makes conforming changes.
LRB104 06952 SPS 16989 b LRB104 06952 SPS 16989 b
LRB104 06952 SPS 16989 b
A BILL FOR
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SB1670 LRB104 06952 SPS 16989 b
1 AN ACT concerning employment.
2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
4 Section 5. The Family Bereavement Leave Act is amended by
5 changing Sections 5 and 10 as follows:
6 (820 ILCS 154/5)
7 Sec. 5. Definitions. In this Act:
8 "Assisted reproduction" means a method of achieving a
9 pregnancy through an artificial insemination or an embryo
10 transfer and includes gamete and embryo donation. "Assisted
11 reproduction" does not include any pregnancy achieved through
12 sexual intercourse.
13 "Child" means an employee's son or daughter who is a
14 biological, adopted, or foster child, a stepchild, a legal
15 ward, or a child of a person standing in loco parentis.
16 "Covered companion animal" means an animal, owned by the
17 employee, that is commonly considered to be, or is considered
18 by the owner to be, a pet. "Covered companion animal"
19 includes, but is not limited to, canines, felines, equines,
20 and specialty pets as defined in subsection (u) of Section 3 of
21 the Illinois Commercial Feed Act of 1961.
22 "Covered family member" means an employee's child,
23 stepchild, spouse, domestic partner, sibling, parent,
104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026 SB1670 Introduced 2/5/2025, by Sen. Christopher Belt SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
820 ILCS 154/5820 ILCS 154/10 820 ILCS 154/5 820 ILCS 154/10
820 ILCS 154/5
820 ILCS 154/10
Amends the Family Bereavement Leave Act. Provides that all employees shall be entitled to use a maximum of one week (5 work days) of unpaid bereavement leave to grieve the death of a covered companion animal. Provides that, in the event of the death of more than one covered companion animal in a 12-month period, an employee is entitled to up to a total of 2 weeks (10 work days) of bereavement leave during the 12-month period. Defines "companion animal". Makes conforming changes.
LRB104 06952 SPS 16989 b LRB104 06952 SPS 16989 b
LRB104 06952 SPS 16989 b
A BILL FOR
820 ILCS 154/5
820 ILCS 154/10
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1 mother-in-law, father-in-law, grandchild, grandparent, or
2 stepparent.
3 "Department" means the Department of Labor.
4 "Domestic partner", used with respect to an unmarried
5 employee, includes:
6 (1) the person recognized as the domestic partner of
7 the employee under any domestic partnership or civil union
8 law of a state or political subdivision of a state; or
9 (2) an unmarried adult person who is in a committed,
10 personal relationship with the employee, who is not a
11 domestic partner as described in paragraph (1) to or in
12 such a relationship with any other person, and who is
13 designated to the employee's employer by such employee as
14 that employee's domestic partner.
15 "Department" means the Department of Labor.
16 "Employee" means eligible employee, as defined by Section
17 101(2) of the federal Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (29
18 U.S.C. 2601 et seq.).
19 "Employer" means employer, as defined by Section 101(4) of
20 the federal Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (29 U.S.C.
21 2601 et seq.).
22 (Source: P.A. 102-1050, eff. 1-1-23.)
23 (820 ILCS 154/10)
24 Sec. 10. Bereavement leave.
25 (a) All employees shall be entitled to use a maximum of 2
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1 weeks (10 work days) of unpaid bereavement leave to:
2 (1) attend the funeral or alternative to a funeral of
3 a covered family member;
4 (2) make arrangements necessitated by the death of the
5 covered family member;
6 (3) grieve the death of the covered family member; or
7 (4) be absent from work due to (i) a miscarriage; (ii)
8 an unsuccessful round of intrauterine insemination or of
9 an assisted reproductive technology procedure; (iii) a
10 failed adoption match or an adoption that is not finalized
11 because it is contested by another party; (iv) a failed
12 surrogacy agreement; (v) a diagnosis that negatively
13 impacts pregnancy or fertility; or (vi) a stillbirth.
14 (a-5) All employees shall be entitled to use a maximum of
15 one week (5 work days) of unpaid bereavement leave to grieve
16 the death of a covered companion animal.
17 (b) Bereavement leave under subsections subsection (a) and
18 (a-5) of this Section must be completed within 60 days after
19 the date on which the employee receives notice of the death of
20 the covered family member or covered companion animal or the
21 date on which an event listed under paragraph (4) of
22 subsection (a) occurs.
23 (c) An employee shall provide the employer with at least
24 48 hours' advance notice of the employee's intention to take
25 bereavement leave, unless providing such notice is not
26 reasonable and practicable.
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1 (d) An employer may, but is not required to, require
2 reasonable documentation. Documentation may include a death
3 certificate, a published obituary, or written verification of
4 death, burial, or memorial services from a mortuary, funeral
5 home, burial society, crematorium, religious institution,
6 veterinarian, or government agency. For leave resulting from
7 an event listed under paragraph (4) of subsection (a),
8 reasonable documentation shall include a form, to be provided
9 by the Department, to be filled out by a health care
10 practitioner who has treated the employee or the employee's
11 spouse or domestic partner, or surrogate, for an event listed
12 under paragraph (4) of subsection (a), or documentation from
13 the adoption or surrogacy organization that the employee
14 worked with related to an event listed under paragraph (4) of
15 subsection (a), certifying that the employee or his or her
16 spouse or domestic partner has experienced an event listed
17 under paragraph (4) of subsection (a). The employer may not
18 require that the employee identify which category of event the
19 leave pertains to as a condition of exercising rights under
20 this Act.
21 (e) In the event of the death of more than one covered
22 family member in a 12-month period, an employee is entitled to
23 up to a total of 6 weeks (30 work days) of bereavement leave
24 during the 12-month period. In the event of the death of more
25 than one covered companion animal in a 12-month period, an
26 employee is entitled to up to a total of 2 weeks (10 work days)
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