Under the Cook County Paid Leave Ordinance, most employers in Cook County, Illinois, must provide their employees in the county up to 40 hours of paid leave that can be used for any reason. The Cook County Commission on Human Rights issued Final Interpretive and Procedural Rules governing the Ordinance that provide employers much-needed clarification

For Illinois employers, the new year brings a variety of new paid leave laws, the most recent being the Cook County Paid Leave Ordinance passed by the Cook County Board of Commissioners on Dec. 14, 2023.

The Cook County Paid Leave Ordinance supersedes the preexisting Cook County Earned Sick Leave Ordinance and requires employers to