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HB 3531

PAID LEAVE-LIMITATIONS

104th Regular Session Introduced by Dan Ugaste

HB 3531 narrows the Paid Leave for All Workers Act, excludes school and park districts as employers, and bars counties/townships from mandating paid leave for them.

Referred to Rules Committee
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · HB 3531

HB 3531 — PAID LEAVE‑LIMITATIONS

Status: Referred to Rules Committee (introduced Feb. 18, 2025 by Rep. Dan Ugaste). As of May 9, 2025, listed as laid on the table subject to call after calendar activity and committee reports.

Purpose / Intent

The bill narrows the reach of Illinois’ Paid Leave for All Workers Act and limits local (county, township, and home‑rule) authority to require paid leave of certain local governmental entities. It makes targeted definitional changes to who qualifies as an “employee” and which employers are subject to the Act, and it adds statutory prohibitions preventing counties and townships from mandating paid leave for school districts and park districts.

Key provisions

  • Adds new Counties Code section (55 ILCS 5/5‑1192) and Municipal Code section (65 ILCS 5/10‑4‑13):
    • Prohibits counties and townships from requiring a school district (under the School Code) or a park district (under the Park District Code) to provide paid leave to their employees.
    • States that home‑rule units may not regulate paid leave for those school/park districts in a manner more restrictive than State regulation; cites a limitation on home‑rule concurrent powers (Art. VII, §6(i), Illinois Constitution).
  • Amends the Paid Leave for All Workers Act (820 ILCS 192) — changes to Sections 10, 15, 30, and 35:
    • Revises the definition of “employee” to expressly exclude:
    • Employees engaged in the transportation of goods through Illinois.
    • Employees who are “free to decide what time” they perform duties for an employer (i.e., workers with full schedule autonomy).
    • Clarifies that “employer” includes the State and units of local government but explicitly excludes school districts and park districts from the definition of “employer” under this Act.
    • Retains accrual mechanics from the Act (1 hour paid leave per 40 hours worked, minimum 40 hours per 12‑month period) and addresses accrual treatment for FLSA‑exempt employees; the bill also contains language on increments and employee choice of leave use (text truncated in source).
    • Makes additional changes related to Department of Labor responsibilities, enforcement, and penalties (detailed text not fully shown in the source provided).

Who would be affected

  • Directly affected:
    • School districts and park districts: would be expressly excluded from being treated as “employers” under the Paid Leave Act and cannot be compelled by counties or townships to provide paid leave beyond State law.
    • Employees engaged in interstate/statewide goods transportation and employees with full discretion over when they work: would be excluded from the Act’s “employee” definition, removing statutory paid‑leave entitlements under this Act.
  • Indirectly affected:
    • Counties, townships, and home‑rule municipalities: their ability to impose paid‑leave requirements on school and park districts would be restricted.
    • Department of Labor, local governments, labor organizations, and employers (public and private) because of shifts in scope, enforcement, and covered populations.

Procedural timeline / actions

  • Introduced Feb. 18, 2025 (sponsor Rep. Dan Ugaste).
  • Referred to subcommittee (Defense & Veterans’ Affairs), public hearing and subcommittee consideration in March–April 2025; reported favorably without amendment and placed on the General State Calendar.
  • Read in the chamber multiple times in May 2025; as of May 9, 2025, laid on the table subject to call.

Notes and uncertainties

  • The source text provided was truncated in parts (later portions of Sections 15, 30, and 35), so some specific changes to accrual, use increments, Department of Labor duties, enforcement mechanisms, and penalty language are not fully visible here.
  • The bill narrows coverage in several targeted ways; the practical impact will depend on the final text of the enforcement and penalty changes and how administrative guidance interprets “free to decide what time” and the transportation exclusion. Stakeholders likely to comment include school and park district administrators, labor groups, truckers/transport firms, counties/townships, and municipal home‑rule councils.

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

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