Proposed Amendment to Exclude School Districts and Park Districts from County Paid Leave Ordinance
Proposed Amendment to Exclude School Districts and Park Districts from County Paid Leave Ordinance
Jan 26, 2024
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Our firm’s December 28, 2023 Law Alert reported on the Paid Leave Ordinance adopted by the Cook County Board of Commissioners, which requires Cook County employers to provide employees with up to 40 hours of paid leave during a 12-month period on an accrual or frontload basis. The version of the Ordinance passed on December 14, 2023, did not exclude school districts or park districts from the definition of “employer” under the Ordinance.
On January 25, 2024, in response to extensive outreach from Cook County schools and park districts, a proposed amendment to the Paid Leave Ordinance was presented to the Commission for first reading. The amendment, if passed, expressly excludes school districts and park districts from the Paid Leave Ordinance. Notably, sponsors of the amendment are President Toni Preckwinkle, Scott R. Britton, John P. Daley, Bridget Gainer, Frank J. Aguilar, Dennis Deer, Donna Miller, Kevin B. Morrison, Seand M. Morrison and Maggie Trevor. The amendment has been referred to the Legislation and Intergovernmental Relations Committee for consideration. The Committee will meet on February 27 or 28, 2024. If approved by the Committee, it will be brought forward for action by the Board at their next meeting on February 29, 2024.
The proposed amendment will provide significant relief to public schools and park districts, both from fiscal and staffing perspectives, as opportunities for paid leave are already a norm, and in some cases, governed by state law. We will provide a further update after February 29, 2024.
