Call to Action Items
Legislators listen to feedback from their constituents and your voice in reaching out to your Representative will be very helpful to our efforts in Springfield and in Washington, D.C.
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Legislative Updates from our Partners
FCA International and IMSCA keep you informed on what is happening in Washington, D.C. and Springfield that will affect finishing contractors. For the latest news, please see below.
Week of 3-8-2024
Congressional Overview
Congress passed a detailed agreement to fund large parts of the government through Sept. 30. This
funding includes the FY24 Appropriations Bill for Agriculture-FDA, Commerce-Justice-Science, Energy and
Water, Interior-Environment, Military Construction-VA, and Transportation-HUD. The remaining funding
for the Defense Department, Homeland Security, and social programs operated through the Health and
Human Services Department is currently set to shut down on March 23 and to date, there is no
agreement on their funding.
U.S. District Court Rules CTA Unconstitutional
A U.S. District Court judge in Alabama has ruled that the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) is
unconstitutional. However, the injunction only currently applies to the plaintiffs in the lawsuit. All other
reporting companies that are not plaintiffs in this case are still bound by the CTA.
As a reminder, under the CTA, companies must disclose the identities and other information about
anyone who owns a stake of at least 25% or exercises significant control over the company. Existing
companies have until the start of 2025 to file their disclosures. Companies created or registered in 2024
have 90 days to comply.
House-Passed Tax Bill Advances in the Senate
Senate Republicans are working on a set of policies to push for inclusion in the $79 billion House-passed
family and business tax breaks package, as Finance Chair Ron Wyden (D-OR) indicated he would be open
to adding to the bill. The package, which passed the House in January, would revive a trio of business tax
credits and expand the child tax credit (including permitting families with more than one child to qualify
for more of the credit faster). It would also boost low-income housing tax credits, provide tax relief for
disaster victims, and extend tax treaty-like benefits to U.S. companies operating in Taiwan.
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CDC Drops COVID-19 Five Day Isolation Guidance
The CDC published new guidance for COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses, suggesting people who
are sick stay at home until they are fever-free for 24 hours and their symptoms have been improving for
the same period of time. The new guidance drops the recommendation to isolate for five days. Instead,
the CDC says that, in the five days that follow, recovering people can be out and about in public but
should take measures like masking and keeping distance from others to reduce the risk that they will
spread their illness.
Please follow the link below to read the full FCA Report.
Older Reports
Recently approved requirements that may apply to you and your business
IDOL Equal Pay Certificate
Per HB 4604 (P.A. 102-0705) of the 102nd General Assembly, private businesses with 100 or more employees are required to submit an application to obtain an Equal Pay Registration Certificate by providing certain pay, demographic and other data to the IL Department of Labor by March 24, 2024 and recertify every two years after the first submission. The law also requires such employers to submit certain information with their application, including: a statement certifying that the business is in compliance with the Equal Pay Act of 2003 and other State and Federal laws related to equal pay. For the purposes of this requirement, “business” is defined as “any private employer who has 100 or more employees in the State of Illinois and is required to file an Annual Employer Information Report EEO-1 with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, but does not include the State of Illinois or any political subdivision, municipal corporation, or other governmental unit or agency. Please visit IDOL’s Equal Pay Registration Certificate page to access the online portal that businesses must use to submit their contact information and required data to IDOL, a training guide for use of the portal, a compliance statement template, and other certification information and resources. In addition, you are encouraged to review the Frequently Asked Questions section of the IDOL webpage.
Paid Leave for All Workers Act
On January 10, 2023, the Illinois General Assembly approved SB 208 (P.A. 102-1143), the “Paid Leave for All Workers Act”. This new law requires private employers to provide earned paid leave to employees to be used for any reason. The Paid Leave for All Workers Act takes effect on January 1, 2024 and sets forth a minimum of 40 hours (or 5 days) paid leave for all employees (regardless of size of employer).
The new law includes an exemption for signatory employers of collective bargaining agreements in the construction industry and states the following: “In no event shall this Act apply to any employee working in the construction industry who is covered by a bona fide collective bargaining agreement…”. In addition, the Act includes a very specific definition of “construction industry”: “Construction industry” means any constructing, altering, reconstructing, repairing, rehabilitating, refinishing, refurbishing, remodeling, remediating, renovating, custom fabricating, maintenance, landscaping, improving, wrecking, painting, decorating, demolishing, or adding to or subtracting from any building, structure, highway, roadway, street, bridge, alley, sewer, ditch, sewage disposal plant, waterworks, parking facility, railroad, excavation or other structure, project, development, real property, or improvement, or to do any part thereof, whether or not the performance of the work herein described involves the addition to or fabrication into, any structure, project, development, real property, or improvement herein described of any material or article of merchandise. “Construction industry” also includes moving construction related materials on the job site or to or from the job site, snow plowing, snow removal, and refuse collection.
However, while the law exempts signatory contractors in the construction industry from these new requirements, the new law will apply to a contractor’s administrative and other support staff who are not covered by a collective bargaining agreement. Please visit IDOL’s Paid Leave for All Workers Act page to access more information on this new law. The webpage also includes a Frequently Asked Questions section.
Annual Sexual Harassment Prevention Training
Public Act 101-0221, Illinois employers are required to train employees on sexual harassment prevention on an annual basis. The training must be completed by December 31, 2023. This requirement applies to all employers with employees working in this State. Please visit the IL Department of Human Rights Sexual Harassment Prevention Training Program page to access more information, including Frequently Asked Questions.
