2 questions

Does a company have the right to create it's own definition of immediately family under their own paid bereavement policy - Ex add cousins, remove parents inlaw, etc... Also I see that 3 paid days off has been the standard for just about every company I've worked for, can that varry? Any laws that cover bereavement?

Voting Leave act in IL. I saw one sample policy on the web that says it's required to pay for 2 hrs. per election for ee's to go vote. But I see many others that say employees can have the 2 hours but don't have to be paid for it. Anybody have any better links to answer my question than I have been finding.

Does a company have the right to create it's own definition of immediately family under their own paid bereavement policy - Ex add cousins, remove parents inlaw, etc... Yes. Actually, your employer doesn't have to offer bereavement leave at all.

Also I see that 3 paid days off has been the standard for just about every company I've worked for, can that varry? Three days is fairly customary but it certainly varies as bereavement leave is entirely a matter of company policy.

Any laws that cover bereavement? No.

I'll see what I can find on IL's voting leave requirement (if any) and will post back when I do.

It's proving difficult to find specific information on IL's voting leave law at their website although it appears such a law exists in IL and that it's the same as my State - which is that an employee may be absent from work for enough time to vote IF he or she requests the time off in advance of election day. The employer does not have to pay for the time off.

According to my somewhat out of date source, in IL the employee is entitled to up to two hours of unpaid time in order to vote. Although my source does not say one way or the other, I will be very surprised if the employee does not have to have such time approved in advance.

Currently this law is being reviewed in committee. The law as it stands today is to allow employees up to two hours of unpaid leave to vote. This law is currently part of (10 ILCS 5/17‑15) (from Ch. 46, par. 17‑15) (see next):
Sec. 17‑15. Any person entitled to vote at a general or special election or at any election at which propositions are submitted to a popular vote in this State, shall, on the day of such election, be entitled to absent himself from any services or employment in which he is then engaged or employed, for a period of 2 hours between the time of opening and closing the polls; and such voter shall not because of so absenting himself be liable to any penalty; Provided, however, that application for such leave of absence shall be made prior to the day of election. The employer may specify the hours during which said employee may absent himself as aforesaid. No person or corporation shall refuse to an employee the privilege hereby conferred, nor shall subject an employee to a penalty because of the exercise of such privilege, nor shall directly or indirectly violate the provisions of this section.
(Source: Laws 1963, p. 2532.)

However, it is being reissued for review as HB 1337 and as of 4/15/2005 was re-referred to the rules committee in an attempt to make the leave paid.

Here is a link that will allow you to track this bill and see where it stands.
http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/billstatus.asp?DocNum=1337&GAID=8&GA=94&DocTypeID=HB&LegID=16103&SessionID=50

Hope this helps!!