Bill Would Force Illinois Employers To Give Vets Day Off

Dave Dahl -- Illinois Radio Network

Veterans – did you enjoy a day off for Veterans Day Wednesday?

You should have, says State Sen. John Mulroe.

He's introduced a bill mandating a paid day off on Veterans Day, with a credit to the employers who are out that part of the payroll.

“In order not to cause hardship to the business community,” Mulroe said, “we're going to try to provide a credit to the companies for the amount they paid the veteran employee.”

Mulroe says the idea came from a Vietnam vet who approached him at a recent event.

The senator, a non-veteran who came of age during a time 18-year-old men did not even have to register for the draft, says, “We owe them everything. They're the ones who are fighting – and dying – for all the freedoms that we enjoy.”