Federal law offers employees up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for their own serious illness or to care for a family member, but many employees cannot afford to take time off without pay. For this reason, advocates in more than 20 states are lobbying for paid family leave. Time-off policies are becoming a bigger issue as more mothers and single parents enter the workforce. In Illinois, representatives are working to build support for the Illinois Family Leave Insurance Program, which would replace 67 percent of wages up to $380 per week when employees take time off for a personal or family medical emergency.
See "Paid family leave plan puts firms on defensive", Barbara Rose, Chicago Tribune, March 31, 2005