Just two months after Chicago became the second city in the
Midwest to require employers to provide paid sick
leave,1 Illinois has enacted three laws that entitle
employees to additional protected leaves. The Child Bereavement
Leave Act, the Employee Sick Leave Act, and an amendment to the
Victims' Economic Security and Safety Act are described
below.
Illinois Child Bereavement Leave Act
The Illinois Child Bereavement Leave Act ("CBLA")
entitles eligible employees to take up to two workweeks of unpaid
bereavement leave in a 12-month period to: (1) attend the funeral
(or its alternative) of a child; (2) make arrangements necessitated
by the death of the child; and (3) grieve the death of the child.
If an employee suffers the loss of multiple children, the CBLA
entitles an employee to two weeks of bereavement leave per child,
up to a maximum of six weeks in a 12-month period. The employee
must complete the leave within 60 days after the employee learns of
the
