Conroy Backs Legislation to Give More Flexibility to Working Parents, Caregivers

Illinois workers caring for elderly or sick family members may soon have increased access to paid sick leave under legislation sponsored by state Rep. Deb Conroy, D-Villa Park.

“As a mother, I understand that emergencies and illnesses are a fact of life and that we cannot always plan ahead for these situations,” Conroy said. “For working parents and family members, it is difficult to provide adequate care for loved ones without some flexibility at the workplace. The bill that I co-sponsored will allow working family caregivers to use the sick time they have acquired to help care for ill family members or take loved ones to critical medical appointments.”

Conroy co-sponsored House Bill 6162, which allows Illinois workers to use earned sick time from their employers to care for an ill or injured family member, including taking them to medical appointments. According to AARP Illinois, over 1.5 million Illinoisans serve as caregivers, most of whom work full-time. This legislation adds flexibility to existing time off policies without requiring employers who do not already have sick leave benefits in place to provide them.

“Employees should be able to go to work confident that if a family member falls ill, the time off that they have earned will be available to provide care for the people whose health is as important as their own,” Conroy said. “This is a common sense bill that would not place any additional burden on employers and received bipartisan support in the legislature.”

House Bill 6162 passed both the House and Senate with bipartisan support and awaits action by the governor.