HB3763 EnrolledLRB103 30532 DTM 56965 b

1    AN ACT concerning employment.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Personnel Record Review Act is amended by
5changing Sections 2, 9, 10 and 12 as follows:
 
6    (820 ILCS 40/2)  (from Ch. 48, par. 2002)
7    Sec. 2. Open records.
8    (a) Upon request in writing to their employer, every
9employee has a right under this Act to inspect, copy, and
10receive copies of the following documents: Every employer
11shall, upon an employee's request which the employer may
12require be in writing on a form supplied by the employer,
13permit the employee to inspect
14        (1) any personnel documents which are, have been or
15    are intended to be used in determining that employee's
16    qualifications for employment, promotion, transfer,
17    additional compensation, benefits, discharge, or other
18    disciplinary action, except as provided in Section 10;
19        (2) any employment-related contracts or agreements
20    that the employer maintains are legally binding on the
21    employee;
22        (3) any employee handbooks that the employer made
23    available to the employee or that the employee

 

 

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1    acknowledged receiving; and
2        (4) any written employer policies or procedures that
3    the employer contends the employee was subject to and that
4    concern qualifications for employment, promotion,
5    transfer, compensation, benefits, discharge, or other
6    disciplinary action.
7    The inspection right encompasses personnel documents in
8the possession of a person, corporation, partnership, or other
9association having a contractual agreement with the employer
10to keep or supply a personnel record. An employee does not have
11a right under this Act to the documents categorized may
12request all or any part of his or her records, except as
13provided in Section 10.
14    (b) The employer, upon an employee's written request,
15shall grant at least 2 inspection requests by an employee in a
16calendar year to inspect, copy, and receive copies of records
17to which that employee has a right under this Act. Requests
18shall be: when requests are
19        (1) made at reasonable intervals, unless otherwise
20    provided in a collective bargaining agreement; and .
21        (2) made to a person responsible for maintaining the
22    employer's personnel records, including the employer's
23    human resources department, payroll department, the
24    employee's supervisor or department manager, or to an
25    individual as provided in the employer's written policy.
26    (c) A written request shall:

 

 

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1        (1) identify what personnel records the employee is
2    requesting or if the employee is requesting all of the
3    records allowed to be requested under this Section;
4        (2) specify if the employee is requesting to inspect,
5    copy, or receive copies of the records;
6        (3) specify whether records be provided in hardcopy or
7    in a reasonable and commercially available electronic
8    format;
9        (4) specify whether inspection, copying, or receipt of
10    copies will be performed by that employee's
11    representative, including family members, lawyers, union
12    stewards, other union officials, or translators; and
13        (5) if the records being requested include medical
14    information and medical records, include a signed waiver
15    to release medical information and medical records to that
16    employee's specific representative.
17    (d) The employer shall comply with the employee's request
18provide the employee with the inspection opportunity within 7
19working days after the receipt of employee makes the request,
20or, if the employer can reasonably show that such deadline
21cannot be met, the employer shall have an additional 7
22calendar days to comply. If an employer does not maintain
23records in one or more of the categories requested, the
24employer may respond in writing notifying the employee that
25the employer does not maintain records in the category, but
26must still permit inspection, copying, and receipt of copies

 

 

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1as required by subsection (b) of any other category requested
2as to which the employer does maintain records. If the records
3are maintained in a manner and fashion that is already
4accessible by the employee, the employer may instead provide
5the employee with instructions on how to access that
6information. Any in-person The inspection shall take place at
7a location reasonably near the employee's place of employment
8and during normal working hours. The employer may allow the
9inspection to take place at a time other than working hours or
10at a place other than where the records are maintained if that
11time or place would be more convenient for the employee.
12Nothing in this Act shall be construed as a requirement that an
13employee be permitted to remove any part of such personnel
14records or any part of such records from the place on the
15employer's premises where it is made available for inspection.
16Each employer shall retain the right to protect his records
17from loss, damage, or alteration to ensure insure the
18integrity of the records. The employer shall, upon the
19employee's written request, email or mail a copy of the
20requested record to the employee by the email address or
21mailing address identified by the employee for the purpose of
22receiving the copy of requested record. An employer may charge
23a fee for providing a copy of the requested record. The fee
24shall be limited to the actual cost of duplicating the
25requested record and may not include the imputed costs of time
26spent duplicating the information, the purchase or rental of

 

 

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1copying machines, the purchase or rental of computer
2equipment, the purchase, rental, or licensing of software, or
3any other similar expenses.
4    (e) As used in this Section, "written request" includes
5any electronic communications, such as email or text messages.
6(Source: P.A. 103-201, eff. 1-1-24.)
 
7    (820 ILCS 40/9)  (from Ch. 48, par. 2009)
8    Sec. 9. An employer shall not gather or keep a record of an
9employee's associations, political activities, publications,
10communications or nonemployment activities, unless the
11employee submits the information in writing or gives
12authorizes the employer express, written consent when the
13employer keeps or gathers in writing to keep or gather the
14information. This prohibition shall not apply to (i)
15activities or associations with individuals or groups involved
16in the physical, sexual, or other exploitation of a minor or
17(ii) the activities that occur on the employer's premises or
18during the employee's working hours with that employer which
19interfere with the performance of the employee's duties or the
20duties of other employees or activities, regardless of when
21and where occurring, which constitute criminal conduct or may
22reasonably be expected to harm the employer's property,
23operations or business, or could by the employee's action
24cause the employer financial liability. A record which is kept
25by the employer as permitted under this Section shall be part

 

 

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1of the personnel record.
2(Source: P.A. 101-531, eff. 8-23-19.)
 
3    (820 ILCS 40/10)  (from Ch. 48, par. 2010)
4    Sec. 10. Exceptions. The right of the employee or the
5employee's designated representative to inspect his or her
6personnel records does not apply to:
7    (a) Letters of reference for that employee or external
8peer review documents for academic employees of institutions
9of higher education.
10    (b) Any portion of a test document, except that the
11employee may see a cumulative total test score for either a
12section of or the entire test document.
13    (c) Materials relating to the employer's staff planning,
14such as matters relating to the business' development,
15expansion, closing or operational goals, where the materials
16relate to or affect more than one employee, provided, however,
17that this exception does not apply if such materials are, have
18been or are intended to be used by the employer in determining
19an individual employee's qualifications for employment,
20promotion, transfer, or additional compensation, or benefits,
21or in determining an individual employee's discharge or
22discipline.
23    (d) Information of a personal nature about a person other
24than the employee if disclosure of the information would
25constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of the other

 

 

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1person's privacy.
2    (e) An employer who does not maintain any personnel
3records.
4    (f) Records relevant to any other pending claim between
5the employer and employee which may be discovered in a
6judicial proceeding.
7    (g) Investigatory or security records maintained by an
8employer to investigate criminal conduct by an employee or
9other activity by the employee which could reasonably be
10expected to harm the employer's property, operations, or
11business or could by the employee's activity cause the
12employer financial liability, unless and until the employer
13takes adverse personnel action based on information in such
14records.
15    (h) An employer's trade secrets, client lists, sales
16projections, and financial data.
17(Source: P.A. 85-1440.)
 
18    (820 ILCS 40/12)  (from Ch. 48, par. 2012)
19    Sec. 12. Administration and enforcement of the Act.
20    (a) The Director of Labor or his authorized representative
21shall administer and enforce the provisions of this Act. The
22Director of Labor may issue rules and regulations necessary to
23administer and enforce the provisions of this Act.
24    (b) If an employee alleges that he or she has been denied
25his or her rights under this Act, he or she may file a

 

 

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1complaint with the Department of Labor. The Department shall
2investigate the complaint and shall have authority to request
3the issuance of a search warrant or subpoena to inspect the
4files of the employer, if necessary. The Department shall
5attempt to resolve the complaint by conference, conciliation,
6or persuasion. If the complaint is not so resolved and the
7Department finds the employer has violated the Act, the
8Department may commence an action in the circuit court to
9enforce the provisions of this Act including an action to
10compel compliance. The circuit court for the county in which
11the complainant resides, in which the complainant is employed,
12or in which the personnel record is maintained shall have
13jurisdiction in such actions.
14    (c) If an employer is alleged to have violated violates
15this Act and the Department has failed to resolve the
16complaint within 180 calendar days after the complaint is
17filed with the Department, or the Department certifies in
18writing that it is unlikely to be able to resolve the complaint
19within that 180 calendar days, an employee may commence an
20action in the circuit court to enforce the provisions of this
21Act, including actions to compel compliance, where efforts to
22resolve the employee's complaint concerning such violation by
23conference, conciliation or persuasion pursuant to subsection
24(b) have failed and the Department has not commenced an action
25in circuit court to redress such violation. The circuit court
26for the county in which the complainant resides, in which the

 

 

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1complainant is employed, or in which the personnel record is
2maintained shall have jurisdiction in such actions.
3    (d) Failure to comply with an order of the court may be
4punished as contempt. In addition, the court shall award an
5employee prevailing in an action pursuant to this Act the
6following damages:
7        (1) Actual damages plus costs.
8        (2) For a willful and knowing violation of this Act,
9    $200 plus costs, reasonable attorney's fees, and actual
10    damages.
11    (e) Any employer or his agent who violates the provisions
12of this Act is guilty of a petty offense.
13    (f) Any employer or his agent, or the officer or agent of
14any private employer, who discharges or in any other manner
15discriminates against any employee because that employee has
16made a complaint to his employer, or to the Director or his
17authorized representative, or because that employee has caused
18to be instituted or is about to cause to be instituted any
19proceeding under or related to this Act, or because that
20employee has testified or is about to testify in an
21investigation or proceeding under this Act, is guilty of a
22petty offense.
23(Source: P.A. 84-525.)