Bill
HB 3483
Creates a state paid family and medical leave program with wage-replacement benefits, funded by a new program fund, administered by a new Division of PFML.
Status and procedural history
- Introduced Feb 18, 2025 (Rep. Anna Moeller). Multiple cosponsors added (Harry Benton, Lilian Jiménez, Dagmara Avelar, Kevin John Olickal).
- Passed one chamber on 05-08-2025 (record vote) and received in the other chamber on 05-09-2025.
- As of May 2025 the bill has been referred to House committees (Local Government), held committee hearings, reported favorably as substituted, placed on the intent calendar (05-28-2025). Text states the Act is effective immediately on enactment.
Purpose and policy intent
- Establishes a statewide paid family and medical leave insurance program to reduce economic hardship when workers take leave for their own serious health conditions, to care for family members (including newborns, adopted children, or family with serious illness), and to support broader family and workplace stability.
- Legislative findings emphasize public health, economic security for families (particularly women and primary caregivers), decreased turnover, and increased productivity.
Key provisions
- Creates the Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program and a new Division of Paid Family and Medical Leave within the Illinois Department of Labor. The Division is to be administered by a Deputy Director of Paid Family and Medical Leave.
- Establishes eligibility rules for covered individuals (employees who meet financial eligibility and self‑employed individuals who elect coverage).
- Authorizes compensation for leave, sets framework for amount and duration of benefits, and provides for payments from a newly created Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program Fund (text provided is organizational; detailed benefit rates/durations are referenced but not specified in the excerpt).
- Allows employer “equivalent plans” (employers may offer alternative plans that meet or exceed statutory requirements — specifics to be set by rule).
- Requires annual reporting by the Department, provides for hearings and penalties, and tasks the Division with rulemaking and administration.
- Coordinates leaves under this Act with the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), collective bargaining agreements, and local ordinances.
- Amends the State Finance Act to create the Program Fund and amends the Freedom of Information Act to exempt certain documents collected by the Division from public disclosure.
Definitions and scope
- The bill provides detailed definitions (e.g., “care,” “child,” “assisted reproduction,” “domestic worker,” “employee,” and industry-specific terms) to clarify covered leave reasons and covered populations.
- Explicitly permits self-employed individuals to opt into coverage and includes domestic workers.
Who is affected
- Employees working in Illinois (including employees who routinely perform work in Illinois), and self-employed individuals who elect coverage.
- Employers, who will interact with program administration, may be subject to contribution requirements or to accept equivalent plans (details to be set in rules or later sections).
- State administration (Department of Labor) through creation of a new Division and Fund.
What’s not specified in the excerpt
- The excerpt does not include specific contribution rates, precise benefit levels or durations, or detailed employer obligations. Those operational details appear to be delegated to program rules or other sections not included here.
Potential impacts (general)
- Provides wage‑replacement for workers taking family/medical leave, likely increasing access to paid leave.
- Imposes new administrative obligations on the Department of Labor and on employers (or offers pathways to meet obligations through equivalent plans).
- Establishes a funding mechanism (Program Fund) and limited FOIA exemptions for program materials.
Effective date
- The Act states it is effective immediately upon enactment.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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