Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signs Family Bereavement Leave Act into law

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed The Family Bereavement Act on Thursday, expanding bereavement leave in Illinois for pregnancy loss or other situations impacting fertility, adoption or pregnancy. The Support Through Loss Act requires employers to provide up to two weeks of unpaid leave for employees who experience a miscarriage, an unsuccessful round of intrauterine insemination or other assisted reproductive procedure, a failed or not finalized adoption match, a failed surrogacy agreement, a diagnosis affecting fertility or a stillbirth.

Employees can also use this time off to support a spouse or partner experiencing one of these losses. The bill expands the definition of a covered family member to include children, stepchildren, spouses, domestic partners, siblings, parents, parents-in-law, grandchildren, grandparents or stepparents. The Act specifies that the employee does not have to identify which category of event they are taking leave for, even if they are required to provide documentation.