A new wave of Illinois employment laws requires covered Illinois employers to provide unpaid leave for parents with a child in neonatal care, paid leave for military funeral honors, and paid break time for nursing mothers.

Neonatal Intensive Care Leave

Effective June 1, 2026 , employers with at least sixteen employees are required to provide unpaid leave to employees to use while their child is a patient in a neonatal intensive care unit.

Under the Family Neonatal Intensive Care Leave Act , employees of employers with 16 to 50 employees may use up to 10 days of leave, while employees of employers with at least 51 employees may use up to 20 days of leave. This leave may be taken continuously or intermittently, though employers may require that leave be taken in at least two-hour incr

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