Illinois to Provide Neonatal Intensive Care Leave to Employees

Illinois employees of employers with at least 16 employees are entitled to unpaid neonatal intensive care leave, under a bill effective June 1, 2026.

Under HB 2978, employees of employers with 16 to 50 employees may use up to 10 days of the leave, while employees of employers with at least 51 employees may use up to 20 days of the leave.

The bill allows an employee to use the leave while their child is a patient in a neonatal intensive care unit. Leave may be taken continuously or intermittently, and employers may require that leave by taken in ...