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SB 1670

FAMILY BEREAVEMENT-ANIMALS

104th Regular Session Introduced by Christopher Belt

Adds 5 days of unpaid bereavement leave for the death of a covered companion animal, with a 10-day cap per 12 months for multiple losses, within the family bereavement framework.

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Bill Summary · SB 1670

Summary — SB 1670 (Family Bereavement — Companion Animals)

Note on source materials
- The packet you provided appears to contain text from two different bills both labeled “SB 1670” in different jurisdictions. The primary content relevant to the title “FAMILY BEREAVEMENT‑ANIMALS” is an Illinois bill that amends the Illinois Family Bereavement Leave Act. The same document also includes unrelated Arizona statutory language about Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). The summary below focuses on the Illinois Family Bereavement bill (companion animals) and, at the end, briefly flags the unrelated Arizona TANF provisions included in the packet.

Purpose and intent

  • To amend the Illinois Family Bereavement Leave Act to explicitly allow employees unpaid bereavement leave to grieve the death of a “covered companion animal” and to set limits when multiple companion-animal deaths occur in a 12-month period.

Key provisions

  • Definition added:
    • “Covered companion animal” — an animal owned by the employee commonly or customarily regarded as a pet; examples explicitly include canines, felines, equines, and specialty pets as defined under Illinois law.
  • New bereavement leave entitlement:
    • Employees are entitled to use up to one week (5 work days) of unpaid bereavement leave to grieve the death of a covered companion animal.
    • If more than one covered companion animal dies in a 12‑month period, an employee may use up to a total of two weeks (10 work days) of bereavement leave during that 12‑month period.
  • Interaction with existing leave:
    • The bill preserves existing bereavement leave provisions for covered family members (the Act already provides unpaid bereavement leave for certain family events).
    • The statute clarifies aggregate caps for multiple deaths: e.g., for covered family members the total remains up to 6 weeks (30 work days) in 12 months; companion-animal deaths have their own 2‑week cap.
  • Timing, notice, and documentation:
    • Bereavement leave must be completed within 60 days after notice of death (or the qualifying event).
    • Employees should provide at least 48 hours’ advance notice when reasonably practicable.
    • Employers may require reasonable documentation of death; acceptable documentation may include a veterinarian verification or other proof of the animal’s death. Employers may not force an employee to identify which specific category of event the leave concerns as a precondition to using rights under the Act.

Who is affected

  • Employees covered by the Illinois Family Bereavement Leave Act (the Act references the FMLA’s definitions for “employee” and “employer,” so coverage is tied to those statutory/administrative thresholds).
  • Employers subject to the Illinois Family Bereavement Leave Act must allow the new companion‑animal bereavement leave and follow notice/documentation rules.
  • The provision is unpaid leave (no new wage payments required).

Procedural / timeline aspects (from provided actions)

  • According to the provided legislative actions, the bill was filed/introduced (various dates listed, including Feb 5 and Feb 27, 2025) and referred to committee(s). The actions list appears mixed with other jurisdictions and committees. For the Illinois text, the bill was introduced and referred to committee(s) consistent with early‑stage legislative processing. Verify current status in the Illinois General Assembly tracking system for accurate committee referrals, votes, or enactment.

Note — Arizona TANF material included in packet

  • The packet also contains Arizona Senate language (also labeled SB 1670) that would amend Arizona Revised Statutes relating to TANF: it appears to change a cited 12‑month lifetime limit to “sixty months” (or “the total number of months allowed by federal law”), provide retroactive applicability, permit an additional 12 months in certain compliance cases, prohibit drug testing of TANF recipients, and set certain termination dates. This Arizona content is a separate bill and is not part of the Illinois Family Bereavement Leave amendment. If you want a focused summary of the Arizona TANF provisions, I can prepare one separately.

If you’d like, I can:
- Produce a clean, standalone summary only for the Illinois SB1670 (Family Bereavement — Companion Animals) suitable for posting; or
- Provide a separate detailed summary of the Arizona TANF bill text included in your materials.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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