The end of the 2017 legislative session is approaching—adjournment is May 31. In the final stretch, here’s a look at where 6 key labor bills stand at this writing.
Wage Mandates
Two NFIB-opposed measures that would have placed wage mandates on employers are not moving forward.
Senate Bill 1347 would have required a $16.36 minimum wage to be paid to all workers on state contracts and subcontracts, but it failed to pass the Senate. House Bill 2749 would have amended the minimum wage law to increase the overtime threshold to $47,476 and tie it annually thereafter to inflation. Any employees earning salaries less than $47,476 would have had to document and be paid for their overtime hours. The proposal was moved back to the Rules Committee, however, and no further action is expected this year.
Employee Leave Mandates
House Bill 2376 would have created a state-run insurance program similar to unemployment insurance. It would have provided up to 12 weeks of paid leave to workers who are ill or need to care for a family member. All businesses with 50 or more employees would have been affected, and a 0.3 percent wage tax would have been levied on employees. The bill was moved back to the Rules Committee and no further action is expected this year, but a companion bill—Senate Bill 1721—is currently with the Senate Labor Committee.
Another bill, House Bill 2771, would require employers to provide five sick days each year to full- or part-time employees who have worked at least 180 days. Companies that already provide five or more days of paid time off would not be affected. The measure passed the House.
NFIB/IL opposes all three bills.
Additionally, NFIB-opposed House Bill 2462, which would prohibit an employer from screening job applicants based on wage and salary history, has passed the House.
