100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2017 and 2018
HB4081

 

Introduced , by Rep. Michael Halpin

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
New Act

    Creates the Call Center Worker and Consumer Protection Act. Provides that an employer that intends to relocate a call center or portions of a call center from Illinois to another state or a foreign country must provide notice to the State Treasurer at least 120 days before the relocation. Authorizes a civil penalty not to exceed $10,000 for violations. Requires the Treasurer to compile and post on the Treasurer's website a list of employers that have relocated call centers. Requires an employer that relocates a call center from Illinois to another state or a foreign country to repay grants, loans, and tax benefits that may have been received. Effective January 1, 2018.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

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1    AN ACT concerning employment.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Call
5Center Worker and Consumer Protection Act.
 
6    Section 5. Definitions. As used in this Act:
7    "Call center" means a business enterprise and the State of
8Illinois or any of its political subdivisions that employ, for
9the purpose of customer service or back-office operations:
10        (1) 50 or more employees, excluding part-time
11    employees; or
12        (2) 50 or more employees who in the aggregate work at
13    least 1,500 hours per week (exclusive of hours of
14    overtime).
15    "Department" means a State department under the Executive
16Branch.
17    "Part-time employee" means an employee who is employed for
18an average of fewer than 20 hours per week or who has been
19employed for fewer than 6 of the 12 months preceding the date
20on which notice is required.
21    "Treasurer" means the Office of the State Treasurer.
 
22    Section 10. Relocation notice requirement.

 

 

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1    (a) An employer that intends to relocate a call center or
2one or more facilities or operating units within a call center
3comprising at least 30% of the total volume of the call center
4or operating units when measured against the previous 12-month
5average call volume of operations or substantially similar
6operations from Illinois to another state or a foreign country
7shall notify the Treasurer at least 120 days before such
8relocation.
9    (b) An employer that violates subsection (a) shall be
10subject to a civil penalty not to exceed $10,000 for each day
11of such violation, except that the Treasurer may reduce such
12amount for just cause shown.
 
13    Section 15. List of company call centers.
14    (a) The Treasurer shall compile a semiannual list of all
15employers that relocate a call center or one or more facilities
16or operating units within a call center comprising at least 30%
17of the call center's total volume of operations from Illinois
18to another state or a foreign country.
19    (b) The Treasurer shall post the list of company call
20centers on its website on June 30 of every year.
 
21    Section 20. Grants or guaranteed loans.
22    (a) Except as provided in subsection (c) and
23notwithstanding any other provision of law, an employer that
24appears on the list required under Section 15 shall be

 

 

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1ineligible for any direct or indirect State grants or State
2guaranteed loans for 5 years after the date such list is
3published.
4    (b) Except as provided in subsection (c) and
5notwithstanding any other provision of law, an employer that
6appears on the list required under Section 15 shall remit the
7unamortized value of any grant, guaranteed loans, tax benefits,
8or any other governmental support it has previously received to
9the Treasurer.
10    (c) The Treasurer, in consultation with the appropriate
11Department providing a loan or grant, may waive the eligibility
12restriction provided under subsection (a) if the employer
13applying for such loan or grant demonstrates that a lack of
14such loan or grant would:
15        (1) threaten national security;
16        (2) result in substantial job loss in the State; or
17        (3) harm the environment.
 
18    Section 25. In-state procurement. An agency shall ensure
19that all State-business-related call center and customer
20service work be performed by State contractors or their agents
21or subcontractors entirely within the State. State contractors
22who currently perform such work outside of the State shall have
232 years following the effective date of this Act to comply with
24this Section; provided that, if any such grandfathered
25contractors add customer service employees who will perform

 

 

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1work on such contracts, those new employees shall immediately
2be employed within the State.
 
3    Section 30. State benefits for workers. No provision of
4this Act shall be construed to permit withholding or denial of
5payments, compensation, or benefits under any other State law
6(including State unemployment insurance, disability payments,
7or worker retraining or readjustment funds) to workers employed
8by employers that relocate from Illinois to another state or a
9foreign country.
 
10    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect January
111, 2018.