By: Diane Benjamin

There isn’t much on the agenda for tonight’s meeting, just one gem. PDF page 21: https://d3n9y02raazwpg.cloudfront.net/cityblm/25a8ec96-7d4f-11ed-9024-0050569183fa-d854eb82-3702-4140-9de6-ac3a8e3f379d-1699838465.pdf

The Illinois Paid Leave for All Workers Act (820 ILCS 192/1 et seq.) was signed into law by Governor J.B. Pritzker on March 13, 2023. Bloomington is using Home Rule as the reason for opting out of compliance.

See if this statement makes any sense to you:

The City has long provided its employees with benefits, including paid leave, that are more generous than the minimum required under the Act. The Act’s additional requirements, however, would place undue financial and operational burdens on the City of Bloomington, its vital operations, and, ultimately, its residents.

So, the City already provides “more generous” benefits, but complying with the law Pritzker signed would place an undue financial and operational burden on the City?

Add this: If the law passed in Illinois creates an undue burden on the City of Bloomington, does it do the same thing to the private sector employers? I can’t imagine why businesses leave or go out of business!

Declare yourself “Home Rule”.

Keep in mind, Bloomington hasn’t submitted TIF Reports or financial data to the Comptroller from 4/30/2023. Laws only matter to you little people.