NFIB Illinois State Director Noah Finley testified against legislation that would require Illinois employers to grant paid leave to employees serving on juries.

HB 4844 specifies that “[e]mployers shall be required to compensate an employee at their regular rate of pay for time serving on jury duty.”

NFIB fought for a small-business exemption and, in the House, achieved an exemption for employers with 25 or fewer employees.

Despite the exemption, Finley pointed out that many small businesses could be disproportionately impacted by this legislation.

“Small businesses pay their taxes, and this bill would impose a secondary, indirect assessment on top of what they already pay,” Finley stated. “This mandate would disproportionately hit small businesses. A small business with 15 full-time employees and 11 part-time employees could be on the hook for paying a significant part of its payroll, roughly calculated 5%, for an employee to perform this public service.”

Would this impact your business? Contact your legislator today!