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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
ORGAN DONOR LEAVE POLICY
WHEREAS, the need for potentially life-saving organ and bone marrow transplants far exceeds the supply; and
WHEREAS, the State of Illinois has recognized the importance of organ donation by providing the opportunity for paid leave to State employees who donate an organ or bone marrow; and
WHEREAS, like Illinois, many other jurisdictions have attempted to offset the incidental costs associated with donation and protect employees from retaliation for taking leave to donate an organ by passing legislation providing job-protected, paid leave to employees who donate organs or bone marrow; and
WHEREAS, the Forest Preserves of Cook County (the “Preserves”) currently does not provide job-protected, paid leave for the purpose of organ or bone marrow donation, necessitating employees to use their accrued sick and vacation leave or take unpaid personal leave, if eligible; and
WHEREAS, in order to offset the incidental costs associated with donation and to protect employees from retaliation for taking a leave of absence to donate an organ, the Preserves should afford paid leave to employees who donate organs or bone marrow; and
WHEREAS, the President’s Office and Cook County have researched various organ donor leave policies and as a result, Cook County has developed, and the Preserves would like to adopt, an Organ Donor Leave Policy that will provide job-protected, paid leave for the purpose of organ or bone marrow donation; and
WHEREAS, the proposed policy would be available to all eligible employees (employed with the Preserves for at least twelve (12) months) who donate organs or donate bone marrow via surgical aspiration or non-surgical apheresis; and
WHEREAS, the risk of complications and death, as well as the burden to the donor in terms of recovery time, pain, and suffering is lowest for apheresis donation and greatest for organ donation; and
WHEREAS, an eligible employee who donates bone marrow via non-surgical apheresis would receive five (5) days of paid leave within a twelve (12) month period; and
WHEREAS, an eligible employee who donates bone marrow via surgical aspiration would receive fifteen (15) days of paid leave within a twelve (12) month period; and
WHEREAS, an eligible employee who donates an organ would receive thirty (30) days of paid donor leave within a twelve (12) month period; and
WHEREAS, the Preserves shall adopt and circulate the Organ Donor Leave Policy to all of the Preserves’ departments.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the President and Board of Commissioners of the Forest Preserves of Cook County do hereby direct the Preserves’ Director of Human Resources to implement an Organ Donor Leave Policy with an effective date of January 1, 2016; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that all of the Preserves’ departments receive a copy of the Organ Donor Leave Policy issued by the Director of Human Resources; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that all of the Preserves’ departments shall work with the Director of Human Resources in order to implement the Organ Donor Leave Policy.
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