Following Chicago’s last-minute changes to its much-discussed Paid Leave Ordinance, Cook County has joined the recent flurry of legislating in Illinois to amend its own leave requirements. On December 14, 2023, the Cook County Board of Commissioners passed the Cook County Paid Leave Ordinance (the Ordinance), which amends the prior Cook County Earned Sick Leave Ordinance to require Cook County employers to provide general paid leave to employees located in Cook County.

The new Ordinance, which is modeled after the Illinois Paid Leave for All Workers Act (the Act), takes effect on December 31, 2023. Below, we provide a breakdown of the various changes made under the new Ordinance:

• Use and accrual of paid leave. Like the Act, the new Ordinance requires employers to provide employees paid leave for any reason, doing away with the prior Cook County Earned Sick Leave Ordinance’s specified list of covered activities.
• Covered employees. The new Ordinance covers all employees who work in Cook County with the following exclusions:
  • Individuals defined as employees in the federal Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act.
  • Students attending a college or university who are employed by that college or university on a temporary basis.
  • Employees who work at institutions of higher education for fewer than two consecutive calendar quarters during a calendar year and do not expect to be rehired.
  • Employees who are covered by a bona fide collective bargaining agreement and work in the...

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