New Illinois laws employers should know about

SCHAUMBURG – The state of Illinois adopted 250 new laws that went into effect January 1, 2019, with three key measures of particular interest to Illinois employers:

  • New Illinois Service Member Employment and Reemployment Act requiring rehiring of military personnel
  • New Wage Act amendment requiring expense reimbursement
  • Illinois Secure Choice requiring certain employers to enroll full- and part-time employees in Illinois-sponsored Roth IRA savings plan

Each of the three laws were discussed Thursday morning during TMA member Human Resource specialists’ peer group meeting. Jeralyn Baran, attorney from Chuhak & Tecson PC, shared an overview of each.

Briefly, the Illinois Service Member Employment and Reemployment Rights Act imposes obligations on all public and private employers to protect the rights of military personnel to reinstatement following military service with the the same seniority and pay and opportunities for promotion. The measure became effective January 1, 2019.

More information on the measure may be found HERE.

Secondly, the Illinois Secure Choice Savings Program Act requires profit and non-profit employers with at least 25 employees that have been in business for two years and have no retirement plan to participate in the state’s new pension plan. Unless an employee options out, the employer is required to deduct five percent of the employee’s gross pay and send to the state’s Secure Choice program. The measure goes into effect at certain times depending upon the company size.

For more detailed information see Chuhak & Tecson’s web site HERE.

Finally, a new Wage Act amendment requires Illinois employers to reimburse required expenses. The amendment defines “necessary expenditures” as “all reasonable expenditures … required of the employee in the discharge of employment duties and that inure to the primary benefit of the employer.”

The measure became effective January 1, 2019.

For more information, see Chuhak & Tecson’s website HERE.

To learn more about upcoming TMA Human Resource Peer Group meetings, contact acortese@tmaillinois.org.

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