SPRINGFIELD — With the start of the new year on Thursday, a number of new Illinois labor laws will take effect, expanding worker protections and benefits across the state.
According to Capitol News Illinois, employees who work for businesses with between 16 and 50 workers will now be eligible for up to 10 days of unpaid leave if they have a newborn receiving care in a neonatal intensive care unit. Larger employers will be required to provide up to 20 days of unpaid leave in those situations.
Another new law restricts the use of artificial intelligence in employment decisions such as recruiting, hiring and promotions when that technology results in discrimination based on race, religion, sex or age.
Additional labor-related changes include expanded paid time off for those participating in military funeral honors details and paid leave for part-time workers who serve as organ donors.
Other labor laws taking effect Thursday address issues such as documenting domestic violence in the workplace, improving transparency, military honors and changes to unemployment benefits.
Beyond labor laws, nearly 300 new Illinois laws will take effect Thursday. Among the most notable is the elimination of the state’s 1 percent grocery tax, though more than half of Illinois cities and towns have already passed ordinances creating their own local grocery taxes.
Additional laws going into effect address a wide range of issues, including hotel soap distribution, removing squatters, drinking water protections, firefighter safety equipment, lift-assist fees, stadium funding, public official privacy, rewilding initiatives, reservation app regulations, paid time off to pump breast milk, providing naloxone in libraries, police training on sexual assault and regulations on predatory towing.
