HB2533 - Transportation Benefit Program Act

• Requires Cook County employers with an average of 20 or more full-time employees to offer a transportation benefit program allowing covered employees to exclude commuting costs for transit passes from taxable wages, up to federal tax law limits.

• Covered employees must work an average of at least 35 hours per week on a full-time basis and become eligible for the benefit starting with their first full pay period after 120 days of employment.

• Employers may comply by participating in programs offered by the Chicago Transit Authority or Regional Transportation Authority; all transit agencies must market the program to riders.

• Civil penalties for non-compliance: up to $100 for a first violation, up to $200 for a second violation in the same year, and up to $500 for each additional violation in the same year.

• Creates the Transportation Benefits Program Fund to receive penalty collections and enforcement cost recoveries, with funds used only for administering the Act; takes effect January 1, 2020.