Walker Pushes for Paid Family Leave, Encourages Health Habits

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – As federal, state and local governments are working to prevent further spread of COVID-19, also known as coronavirus, state Rep. Mark Walker, D-Arlington Heights, is supporting legislation that would mandate paid family leave, helping workers potentially impacted by the virus.

“Paid family leave is an issue important to many in my district and our state,” Walker said. “I’m supporting this legislation because we need stronger protections for workers who have just had kids or need to stay home to care for a sick family member. While the opportune time to pass this legislation would have been before facing a pandemic, we cannot ignore the reality working families face.”

Walker is supporting House Bill 9 which would create the Paid Family Leave Act requiring employers with 50 or more employees to provide six weeks of paid leave for those who take off of work due to the birth of a child, to care for a newly adopted child under 18 years old or to care for a family member with a serious health condition.

“I also applaud the governor for his recent actions to support workers by increasing funding available for unemployment insurance and expanding tax credits available to employers,” Walker said. “As we continue to fight COVID-19, we all must remember to thoroughly wash our hands, stay home from work if you are sick and proactively check on family members, particularly seniors.”

Residents with concerns about COVID-19 may call the Illinois Department of Public Health’s hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email DPH.SICK@ILLINOIS.GOV.