Faver Dias Advances Healthcare Measure to Expand Rights of Parents with Seriously Ill Children

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Laura Faver Dias, D-Grayslake, is continuing to fight for families with her measure to guarantee extra days of leave for the parents of children in the neonatal intensive care unit, which recently passed the House with strong bipartisan support.

“Denying parents of seriously sick children the ability to spend time with their kids is unthinkable, but it has been the reality to far too many,” Faver Dias. “Some parents have had to continue to work through their child’s serious illness for fear of losing the source of the income paying for lifesaving medical care. This measure allows for well-deserved time off for these parents to be by their children’s bedside, something I think anyone with children can understand is vital.”

House Bill 5294 is a parents’ rights measure Faver Dias passed with the support of Planned Parenthood of Illinois, and Illinois Education Association and AFSCME Council 31. It gives parents unpaid time off to attend a child who is a patient in a neonatal intensive care unit in addition to leave provided under the Family Medical Leave Act. Employers with 15 or fewer employees are exempted from the 10-day requirement, while employers with 51 or more employees must provide 20 days.

“Extra time off not only allows parents to be there for their children when they are sick, it allows parents to take a larger role in their recovery,” Faver Dias said. “This change is essential progress towards building a stronger Illinois for every family, regardless of the challenges they have to face.”