SB2339 - 104th General Assembly
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| 1 | AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 2339 | ||||||
| 2 | AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 2339 by replacing | ||||||
| 3 | everything after the enacting clause with the following: | ||||||
| 4 | "Section 5. The Right to Privacy in the Workplace Act is | ||||||
| 5 | amended by changing Sections 12, 13, 15, and 20 and by adding | ||||||
| 6 | Sections 16, 17, 18, and 19 as follows: | ||||||
| 7 | (820 ILCS 55/12) | ||||||
| 8 | Sec. 12. Use of Employment Eligibility Verification | ||||||
| 9 | Systems. | ||||||
| 10 | (a) Prior to enrolling in any Electronic Employment | ||||||
| 11 | Verification System, including the E-Verify program and the | ||||||
| 12 | Basic Pilot program, as authorized by 8 U.S.C. 1324a, Notes, | ||||||
| 13 | Pilot Programs for Employment Eligibility Confirmation | ||||||
| 14 | (enacted by P.L. 104-208, div. C, title IV, subtitle A), | ||||||
| 15 | renamed the E-Verify program, employers are urged to consult | ||||||
| 16 | the Illinois Department of Labor's website for current | ||||||
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| 1 | information on the accuracy of the E-Verify program and to | ||||||
| 2 | review and understand an employer's legal responsibilities | ||||||
| 3 | relating to the use of the E-Verify program. Nothing in this | ||||||
| 4 | Act shall be construed to require an employer to enroll in any | ||||||
| 5 | Electronic Employment Verification System, including the | ||||||
| 6 | E-Verify program and the Basic Pilot program, as authorized by | ||||||
| 7 | 8 U.S.C. 1324a, Notes, Pilot Programs for Employment | ||||||
| 8 | Eligibility Confirmation (enacted by P.L. 104-208, div. C, | ||||||
| 9 | title IV, subtitle A) beyond those obligations that have been | ||||||
| 10 | imposed upon them by federal law. Nothing in this Act shall be | ||||||
| 11 | construed to prohibit an employer from enrolling in any | ||||||
| 12 | Electronic Employment Verification System, including the | ||||||
| 13 | E-Verify program, as required or permitted by federal law. | ||||||
| 14 | (a-1) The Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) shall post | ||||||
| 15 | on its website information or links to information from the | ||||||
| 16 | United States Government Accountability Office, Westat, or a | ||||||
| 17 | similar reliable source independent of the Department of | ||||||
| 18 | Homeland Security regarding: (1) the accuracy of the E-Verify | ||||||
| 19 | databases; (2) the approximate financial burden and | ||||||
| 20 | expenditure of time that use of E-Verify requires from | ||||||
| 21 | employers; and (3) an overview of an employer's | ||||||
| 22 | responsibilities under federal and state law relating to the | ||||||
| 23 | use of E-Verify. | ||||||
| 24 | (b) Upon initial enrollment in an Employment Eligibility | ||||||
| 25 | Verification System or within 30 days after the effective date | ||||||
| 26 | of this amendatory Act of the 96th General Assembly, an | ||||||
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| 1 | employer enrolled in E-Verify or any other Employment | ||||||
| 2 | Eligibility Verification System must attest, under penalty of | ||||||
| 3 | perjury, on a form prescribed by the IDOL available on the IDOL | ||||||
| 4 | website: | ||||||
| 5 | (1) that the employer has received the Basic Pilot or | ||||||
| 6 | E-Verify training materials from the Department of | ||||||
| 7 | Homeland Security (DHS), and that all employees who will | ||||||
| 8 | administer the program have completed the Basic Pilot or | ||||||
| 9 | E-Verify Computer Based Tutorial (CBT); and | ||||||
| 10 | (2) that the employer has posted the notice from DHS | ||||||
| 11 | indicating that the employer is enrolled in the Basic | ||||||
| 12 | Pilot or E-Verify program and the anti-discrimination | ||||||
| 13 | notice issued by the Immigrant and Employee Rights Section | ||||||
| 14 | (IER) Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related | ||||||
| 15 | Unfair Employment Practices (OSC), Civil Rights Division, | ||||||
| 16 | U.S. Department of Justice in a prominent place that is | ||||||
| 17 | clearly visible to both prospective and current employees. | ||||||
| 18 | The employer must maintain the signed original of the | ||||||
| 19 | attestation form prescribed by the IDOL, as well as all | ||||||
| 20 | CBT certificates of completion and make them available for | ||||||
| 21 | inspection or copying by the IDOL at any reasonable time. | ||||||
| 22 | (c) It is a violation of this Act for an employer enrolled | ||||||
| 23 | in an Employment Eligibility Verification System, including | ||||||
| 24 | the E-Verify program and the Basic Pilot program: | ||||||
| 25 | (1) to fail to display the notices supplied by DHS and | ||||||
| 26 | IER OSC in a prominent place that is clearly visible to | ||||||
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| 1 | both prospective and current employees; | ||||||
| 2 | (2) to allow any employee to use an Employment | ||||||
| 3 | Eligibility Verification System prior to having completed | ||||||
| 4 | CBT; | ||||||
| 5 | (3) to fail to take reasonable steps to prevent an | ||||||
| 6 | employee from circumventing the requirement to complete | ||||||
| 7 | the CBT by assuming another employee's E-Verify or Basic | ||||||
| 8 | Pilot user identification or password; | ||||||
| 9 | (4) to use the Employment Eligibility Verification | ||||||
| 10 | System to verify the employment eligibility of job | ||||||
| 11 | applicants prior to hiring or to otherwise use the | ||||||
| 12 | Employment Eligibility Verification System to screen | ||||||
| 13 | individuals prior to hiring and prior to the completion of | ||||||
| 14 | a Form I-9; | ||||||
| 15 | (5) to terminate an employee or take any other adverse | ||||||
| 16 | employment action against an individual prior to receiving | ||||||
| 17 | a final nonconfirmation notice from the Social Security | ||||||
| 18 | Administration or the Department of Homeland Security; | ||||||
| 19 | (6) to fail to notify an individual, in writing, of | ||||||
| 20 | the employer's receipt of a tentative nonconfirmation | ||||||
| 21 | notice, of the individual's right to contest the tentative | ||||||
| 22 | nonconfirmation notice, and of the contact information for | ||||||
| 23 | the relevant government agency or agencies that the | ||||||
| 24 | individual must contact to resolve the tentative | ||||||
| 25 | nonconfirmation notice; | ||||||
| 26 | (7) to fail to safeguard the information contained in | ||||||
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| 1 | the Employment Eligibility Verification System, and the | ||||||
| 2 | means of access to the system (such as passwords and other | ||||||
| 3 | privacy protections). An employer shall ensure that the | ||||||
| 4 | System is not used for any purpose other than employment | ||||||
| 5 | verification of newly hired employees and shall ensure | ||||||
| 6 | that the information contained in the System and the means | ||||||
| 7 | of access to the System are not disseminated to any person | ||||||
| 8 | other than employees who need such information and access | ||||||
| 9 | to perform the employer's employment verification | ||||||
| 10 | responsibilities. | ||||||
| 11 | (c-1) Any claim that an employer refused to hire, | ||||||
| 12 | segregated, or acted with respect to recruitment, hiring, | ||||||
| 13 | promotion, renewal or employment, selection for training or | ||||||
| 14 | apprenticeship, discharge, discipline, tenure or terms, | ||||||
| 15 | privileges, or conditions of employment without following the | ||||||
| 16 | procedures of the Employment Eligibility Verification System, | ||||||
| 17 | including the Basic Pilot and the E-Verify program programs, | ||||||
| 18 | may be brought under paragraph (G)(2) of Section 2-102 of the | ||||||
| 19 | Illinois Human Rights Act. | ||||||
| 20 | (c-2) It is a violation of this Section for an individual | ||||||
| 21 | to falsely pose as an employer in order to enroll in an | ||||||
| 22 | Employment Eligibility Verification System or for an employer | ||||||
| 23 | to use an Employment Eligibility Verification System to access | ||||||
| 24 | information regarding an individual who is not an employee of | ||||||
| 25 | the employer. | ||||||
| 26 | (d) Preemption. Neither the State nor any of its political | ||||||
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| 1 | subdivisions, nor any unit of local government, including a | ||||||
| 2 | home rule unit, may require any employer to use an Employment | ||||||
| 3 | Eligibility Verification System, including under the following | ||||||
| 4 | circumstances: | ||||||
| 5 | (1) as a condition of receiving a government contract; | ||||||
| 6 | (2) as a condition of receiving a business license; or | ||||||
| 7 | (3) as penalty for violating licensing or other | ||||||
| 8 | similar laws. | ||||||
| 9 | This subsection (d) is a denial and limitation of home | ||||||
| 10 | rule powers and functions under subsection (h) of Section 6 of | ||||||
| 11 | Article VII of the Illinois Constitution. | ||||||
| 12 | (Source: P.A. 103-879, eff. 1-1-25.) | ||||||
| 13 | (820 ILCS 55/13) | ||||||
| 14 | Sec. 13. Restrictions on the use of Employment Eligibility | ||||||
| 15 | Verification Systems. | ||||||
| 16 | (a) As used in this Section: | ||||||
| 17 | "Employee's authorized representative" means an exclusive | ||||||
| 18 | collective bargaining representative, an attorney, or, upon | ||||||
| 19 | written notification to the employer, any other representative | ||||||
| 20 | authorized by the employee. | ||||||
| 21 | "Inspecting entity" means the U.S. Department of Homeland | ||||||
| 22 | Security, the Immigrant Employee Rights Section, or the U.S. | ||||||
| 23 | Department of Labor, as required under 8 U.S.C. 1324a(b)(3) | ||||||
| 24 | Immigration and Customs Enforcement, United States Customs and | ||||||
| 25 | Border Protection, or any other federal entity enforcing civil | ||||||
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| 1 | immigration violations of an employer's I-9 Employment | ||||||
| 2 | Eligibility Verification forms. | ||||||
| 3 | (b) An employer shall not impose work authorization | ||||||
| 4 | verification or re-verification requirements greater than | ||||||
| 5 | those required by federal law or, if enrolled in an Employment | ||||||
| 6 | Eligibility Verification System, including the E-Verify | ||||||
| 7 | program, shall not impose work authorization verification or | ||||||
| 8 | re-verification requirements greater than those required by | ||||||
| 9 | the Employment Eligibility Verification System, including the | ||||||
| 10 | E-Verify program. | ||||||
| 11 | (c) If an employer contends that there is a discrepancy in | ||||||
| 12 | an employee's employment verification information, the | ||||||
| 13 | employer must provide the employee with: | ||||||
| 14 | (1) The specific document or documents, if made | ||||||
| 15 | available to the employer, that the employer deems to be | ||||||
| 16 | deficient and the reason why the document or documents are | ||||||
| 17 | deficient. Upon request by the employee or the employee's | ||||||
| 18 | authorized representative, the employer shall give to the | ||||||
| 19 | employee the original document forming the basis for the | ||||||
| 20 | employer's contention of deficiency within 7 business | ||||||
| 21 | days, unless a shorter timeline is provided for under a | ||||||
| 22 | collective bargaining agreement. | ||||||
| 23 | (2) Instructions on how the employee can correct the | ||||||
| 24 | alleged deficient documents if required to do so by law. | ||||||
| 25 | (3) An explanation of the employee's right to have | ||||||
| 26 | representation present during related meetings, | ||||||
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| 1 | discussions, or proceedings with the employer. If the | ||||||
| 2 | alleged discrepancy is based on information obtained | ||||||
| 3 | through the employer's participation in the E-Verify | ||||||
| 4 | program, the right to representation shall apply unless | ||||||
| 5 | not , if allowed by a memorandum of understanding | ||||||
| 6 | concerning the federal E-Verify system. | ||||||
| 7 | (4) An explanation of any other rights that the | ||||||
| 8 | employee may have in connection with the employer's | ||||||
| 9 | contention. | ||||||
| 10 | (d) (Blank). When an employer receives notification from | ||||||
| 11 | any federal or State agency, including, but not limited to, | ||||||
| 12 | the Social Security Administration or the Internal Revenue | ||||||
| 13 | Service, of a discrepancy as it relates to work authorization, | ||||||
| 14 | the following rights and protections are granted to the | ||||||
| 15 | employee: | ||||||
| 16 | (1) The employer must not take any adverse action | ||||||
| 17 | against the employee, including re-verification, based on | ||||||
| 18 | the receipt of the notification. | ||||||
| 19 | (2) The employer must provide a notice to the employee | ||||||
| 20 | and, if allowed by a memorandum of understanding | ||||||
| 21 | concerning the federal E-Verify system, to the employee's | ||||||
| 22 | authorized representative, if any, as soon as practicable, | ||||||
| 23 | but not more than 5 business days after the date of receipt | ||||||
| 24 | of the notification, unless a shorter timeline is provided | ||||||
| 25 | for under federal law or a collective bargaining | ||||||
| 26 | agreement. The notice to the employee shall include, but | ||||||
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| 1 | not be limited to: (i) an explanation that the federal or | ||||||
| 2 | State agency has notified the employer that the employee's | ||||||
| 3 | work authorization documents presented by the employee do | ||||||
| 4 | not appear to be valid or reasonably relate to the | ||||||
| 5 | employee; and (ii) the time period the employee has to | ||||||
| 6 | contest the federal or State agency's determination. The | ||||||
| 7 | employer shall notify the employee in person and deliver | ||||||
| 8 | the notification by hand, if possible. If hand delivery is | ||||||
| 9 | not possible, then the employer shall notify the employee | ||||||
| 10 | by mail and email, if the email address of the employee is | ||||||
| 11 | known, and shall notify the employee's authorized | ||||||
| 12 | representative. Upon request by the employee or the | ||||||
| 13 | employee's authorized representative, the employer shall | ||||||
| 14 | give to the employee the original notice from the federal | ||||||
| 15 | or State agency, including, but not limited to, the Social | ||||||
| 16 | Security Administration or the Internal Revenue Service, | ||||||
| 17 | within 7 business days. This original notice shall be | ||||||
| 18 | redacted in compliance with State and federal privacy laws | ||||||
| 19 | and shall relate only to the employee receiving the | ||||||
| 20 | notification. | ||||||
| 21 | (3) The employee may have a representative of the | ||||||
| 22 | employee's choosing in any meetings, discussions, or | ||||||
| 23 | proceedings with the employer. | ||||||
| 24 | The procedures described in this subsection do not apply | ||||||
| 25 | to inspections of an employer's I-9 Employment Verification | ||||||
| 26 | Forms by an inspecting entity or any relevant procedure | ||||||
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| 1 | otherwise described in subsection (g). | ||||||
| 2 | (d-5) If an employer receives a written notification from | ||||||
| 3 | any federal agency or other outside third party not | ||||||
| 4 | responsible for the enforcement of immigration law, including, | ||||||
| 5 | but not limited to, the Social Security Administration, the | ||||||
| 6 | Internal Revenue Service, or an insurance company, of a | ||||||
| 7 | discrepancy as it relates to an employee's individual taxpayer | ||||||
| 8 | identification number or other identifying documents, the | ||||||
| 9 | following rights and protections are granted to the employee: | ||||||
| 10 | (1) The employer shall not take any adverse action | ||||||
| 11 | against the employee, including re-verification, based | ||||||
| 12 | solely on the receipt of the notification. | ||||||
| 13 | (2) The employer shall provide a notice to the | ||||||
| 14 | employee and to the employee's authorized representative, | ||||||
| 15 | if any, as soon as practicable, but not more than 5 | ||||||
| 16 | business days after the date of receipt of the | ||||||
| 17 | notification, unless a shorter timeline is provided for | ||||||
| 18 | under federal law or a collective bargaining agreement. | ||||||
| 19 | The employer shall notify the employee in person and | ||||||
| 20 | deliver the notification by hand, if possible. If hand | ||||||
| 21 | delivery is not possible, then the employer shall notify | ||||||
| 22 | the employee by mail and email, if the email address of the | ||||||
| 23 | employee is known, and shall notify the employee's | ||||||
| 24 | authorized representative. Upon request by the employee or | ||||||
| 25 | the employee's authorized representative, the employer | ||||||
| 26 | shall give to the employee the original notification. The | ||||||
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| 1 | notice to the employee shall include, but shall not be | ||||||
| 2 | limited to: (A) an explanation that the federal agency or | ||||||
| 3 | outside third party has notified the employer that the | ||||||
| 4 | identification documents presented by the employee do not | ||||||
| 5 | appear to match; and (B) the time period the employee has | ||||||
| 6 | to contest the disputed information, if such a time period | ||||||
| 7 | is required by federal law. | ||||||
| 8 | (3) The employee may have a representative of the | ||||||
| 9 | employee's choosing in any meetings, discussions, or | ||||||
| 10 | proceedings with the employer. | ||||||
| 11 | (e) Except as otherwise required by federal law, an | ||||||
| 12 | employer shall provide a notice to each current employee, by | ||||||
| 13 | posting in English and in any language commonly used in the | ||||||
| 14 | workplace, of any inspections of I-9 Employment Eligibility | ||||||
| 15 | Verification forms or other employment records conducted by | ||||||
| 16 | the inspecting entity within 72 hours after receiving notice | ||||||
| 17 | of the inspection. Written notice shall also be given within | ||||||
| 18 | 72 hours to the employee's authorized representative, if any. | ||||||
| 19 | The posted notice shall contain the following information: | ||||||
| 20 | (1) the name of the entity conducting the inspections | ||||||
| 21 | of I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification forms or other | ||||||
| 22 | employment records; | ||||||
| 23 | (2) the date that the employer received notice of the | ||||||
| 24 | inspection; | ||||||
| 25 | (3) the nature of the inspection to the extent known | ||||||
| 26 | by the employer; and | ||||||
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| 1 | (4) a copy of the notice received by the employer. | ||||||
| 2 | An employer, upon reasonable request, shall provide an | ||||||
| 3 | employee a copy of the Notice of Inspection of I-9 Employment | ||||||
| 4 | Eligibility Verification forms. | ||||||
| 5 | (f) On or before 6 months after the effective date of this | ||||||
| 6 | amendatory Act of the 103rd General Assembly, the Department | ||||||
| 7 | shall develop a template posting that employers may use to | ||||||
| 8 | comply with the requirements of subsection (e) to inform | ||||||
| 9 | employees of a notice of inspection to be conducted of I-9 | ||||||
| 10 | Employment Eligibility Verification forms or other employment | ||||||
| 11 | records conducted by the inspecting entity. The Department | ||||||
| 12 | shall make the template available on its website so that it is | ||||||
| 13 | accessible to any employer. | ||||||
| 14 | (g) Except as otherwise required by federal law, if during | ||||||
| 15 | an inspection of the employer's I-9 Employment Eligibility | ||||||
| 16 | Verification forms by an inspecting entity, the inspecting | ||||||
| 17 | entity makes a determination that the employee's work | ||||||
| 18 | authorization documents do not establish that the employee is | ||||||
| 19 | authorized to work in the United States and provide the | ||||||
| 20 | employer with notice of that determination, the employer shall | ||||||
| 21 | provide a written notice as set forth in this subsection to the | ||||||
| 22 | employee within 5 business days, unless a shorter timeline is | ||||||
| 23 | provided for under federal law or a collective bargaining | ||||||
| 24 | agreement. The employer's notice to the employee shall relate | ||||||
| 25 | to the employee only. The employer shall notify the employee | ||||||
| 26 | in person and deliver the notification by hand, if possible. | ||||||
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| 1 | If hand delivery is not possible, then the employer shall | ||||||
| 2 | notify the employee by mail and email, if the email address of | ||||||
| 3 | the employee is known, and shall notify the employee's | ||||||
| 4 | authorized representative. The employer's notice to the | ||||||
| 5 | employee shall contain the following information: | ||||||
| 6 | (1) an explanation that the inspecting entity has | ||||||
| 7 | determined that the employee's work authorization | ||||||
| 8 | documents presented by the employee do not appear to be | ||||||
| 9 | valid or reasonably relate to the employee; | ||||||
| 10 | (2) the time period for the employee to notify the | ||||||
| 11 | employer whether the employee is contesting or not | ||||||
| 12 | contesting the determination by the inspecting entity, if | ||||||
| 13 | any time period is required by federal law; | ||||||
| 14 | (3) if known by the employer, the time and date of any | ||||||
| 15 | meeting with the employer and employee or with the | ||||||
| 16 | inspecting entity and employee related to the correction | ||||||
| 17 | of the inspecting entity's determination that the | ||||||
| 18 | employee's work authorization documents presented by the | ||||||
| 19 | employee do not appear to be valid or reasonably relate to | ||||||
| 20 | the employee; and | ||||||
| 21 | (4) notice that the employee has the right to | ||||||
| 22 | representation during any meeting scheduled with the | ||||||
| 23 | employer and the inspecting entity. | ||||||
| 24 | If the employee contests the inspecting entity's | ||||||
| 25 | determination, the employer will notify the employee within 72 | ||||||
| 26 | hours after receipt of any final determination by the | ||||||
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| 1 | inspecting entity related to the employee's work authorization | ||||||
| 2 | status. Upon request by the employee or the employee's | ||||||
| 3 | authorized representative, the employer shall give the | ||||||
| 4 | employee the original notice from the inspecting entity within | ||||||
| 5 | 7 business days. This original notice shall be redacted in | ||||||
| 6 | compliance with State and federal privacy laws and shall | ||||||
| 7 | relate only to the employee receiving the notification. | ||||||
| 8 | (h) This Section does not require a penalty to be imposed | ||||||
| 9 | upon an employer or person who fails to provide notice to an | ||||||
| 10 | employee at the express and specific direction or request of | ||||||
| 11 | the federal government. In determining the amount of the | ||||||
| 12 | penalty, the appropriateness of the penalty to the size of the | ||||||
| 13 | business of the employer charged and the gravity of the | ||||||
| 14 | violation shall be considered. The penalty may be recovered in | ||||||
| 15 | a civil action brought by the Director in any circuit court. | ||||||
| 16 | Upon request by the employee or the employee's authorized | ||||||
| 17 | representative, the employer shall give the employee the | ||||||
| 18 | original notice from the inspecting entity within 7 business | ||||||
| 19 | days. | ||||||
| 20 | (i) This Section applies to public and private employers. | ||||||
| 21 | (j) Nothing in this Section shall be interpreted, | ||||||
| 22 | construed, or applied to restrict or limit an employer's | ||||||
| 23 | compliance with a memorandum of understanding concerning the | ||||||
| 24 | use of the federal E-Verify system. | ||||||
| 25 | (Source: P.A. 103-879, eff. 1-1-25.) | ||||||
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| 1 | (820 ILCS 55/15) (from Ch. 48, par. 2865) | ||||||
| 2 | Sec. 15. Administration and enforcement by the Department. | ||||||
| 3 | (a) It shall be the duty of the Department to enforce the | ||||||
| 4 | provisions of this Act when, in the Department's judgment, | ||||||
| 5 | there is cause and sufficient resources for investigation. The | ||||||
| 6 | Department shall have the power to conduct investigations in | ||||||
| 7 | connection with the administration and enforcement of this | ||||||
| 8 | Act, and any investigator with the Department shall be | ||||||
| 9 | authorized to visit and inspect, at all reasonable times, any | ||||||
| 10 | places covered by this Act and shall be authorized to inspect, | ||||||
| 11 | at all reasonable times, records of the employer or | ||||||
| 12 | prospective employer related to its employees or prospective | ||||||
| 13 | employees and related to its participation in and compliance | ||||||
| 14 | with the E-Verify program. The Department shall have the | ||||||
| 15 | authority to request the issuance of a search warrant or | ||||||
| 16 | subpoena to inspect the files of the employer or prospective | ||||||
| 17 | employer, if necessary. The Department shall conduct hearings | ||||||
| 18 | in accordance with the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act | ||||||
| 19 | upon written complaint by an investigator of the Department. | ||||||
| 20 | After the hearing, if supported by the evidence, the | ||||||
| 21 | Department may (i) issue and cause to be served on any party an | ||||||
| 22 | order to cease and desist from further violation of the Act, | ||||||
| 23 | (ii) take affirmative or other action as deemed reasonable to | ||||||
| 24 | eliminate the effect of the violation, and (iii) determine the | ||||||
| 25 | amount of any civil penalty allowed by the Act. The Director of | ||||||
| 26 | Labor or his or her representative may compel, by subpoena, | ||||||
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| 1 | the attendance and testimony of witnesses and the production | ||||||
| 2 | of books, payrolls, records, papers, and other evidence in any | ||||||
| 3 | investigation or hearing and may administer oaths to witnesses | ||||||
| 4 | The Director of Labor or his authorized representative shall | ||||||
| 5 | administer and enforce the provisions of this Act. The | ||||||
| 6 | Director of Labor may issue rules and regulations necessary to | ||||||
| 7 | administer and enforce the provisions of this Act. | ||||||
| 8 | (b) If an employee or applicant for employment alleges | ||||||
| 9 | that he or she has been denied his or her rights under this | ||||||
| 10 | Act, he or she may file a complaint with the Department of | ||||||
| 11 | Labor. The Department shall investigate the complaint pursuant | ||||||
| 12 | to its authority under subsection (a) and shall have authority | ||||||
| 13 | to request the issuance of a search warrant or subpoena to | ||||||
| 14 | inspect the files of the employer or prospective employer, if | ||||||
| 15 | necessary. The Department shall attempt to resolve the | ||||||
| 16 | complaint by conference, conciliation, or persuasion. If the | ||||||
| 17 | complaint is not so resolved and the Department finds the | ||||||
| 18 | employer or prospective employer has violated the Act, the | ||||||
| 19 | Department may commence an action in the circuit court to | ||||||
| 20 | enforce the provisions of this Act including an action to | ||||||
| 21 | compel compliance. The circuit court for the county in which | ||||||
| 22 | the complainant resides or in which the complainant is | ||||||
| 23 | employed shall have jurisdiction in such actions. | ||||||
| 24 | (c) (Blank). If an employer or prospective employer | ||||||
| 25 | violates this Act, an employee or applicant for employment may | ||||||
| 26 | commence an action in the circuit court to enforce the | ||||||
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| |||||||
| 1 | provisions of this Act, including actions to compel | ||||||
| 2 | compliance, where efforts to resolve the employee's or | ||||||
| 3 | applicant for employment's complaint concerning the violation | ||||||
| 4 | by conference, conciliation or persuasion under subsection (b) | ||||||
| 5 | have failed and the Department has not commenced an action in | ||||||
| 6 | circuit court to redress the violation. The circuit court for | ||||||
| 7 | the county in which the complainant resides or in which the | ||||||
| 8 | complainant is employed shall have jurisdiction in such | ||||||
| 9 | actions. | ||||||
| 10 | (d) (Blank). Failure to comply with an order of the court | ||||||
| 11 | may be punished as contempt. In addition, the court shall | ||||||
| 12 | award an employee or applicant for employment prevailing in an | ||||||
| 13 | action under this Act the following damages: | ||||||
| 14 | (1) Actual damages plus costs. | ||||||
| 15 | (2) For a willful and knowing violation of this Act, | ||||||
| 16 | $200 plus costs, reasonable attorney's fees, and actual | ||||||
| 17 | damages. | ||||||
| 18 | (3) For a willful and knowing violation of Section | ||||||
| 19 | 12(c) or Section 12(c-2) of this Act, $500 per affected | ||||||
| 20 | employee plus costs, reasonable attorney's fees, and | ||||||
| 21 | actual damages. | ||||||
| 22 | (4) For a willful and knowing violation of Section 13, | ||||||
| 23 | a civil penalty of a minimum of $2,000 up to a maximum of | ||||||
| 24 | $5,000 for a first violation and a civil penalty of a | ||||||
| 25 | minimum of $5,000 up to a maximum of $10,000 for each | ||||||
| 26 | subsequent violation per affected employee plus costs, | ||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
| 1 | reasonable attorney's fees, and actual damages. | ||||||
| 2 | (e) Any employer or prospective employer or his agent who | ||||||
| 3 | violates the provisions of this Act is guilty of a petty | ||||||
| 4 | offense. | ||||||
| 5 | (f) Any employer or prospective employer, or the officer | ||||||
| 6 | or agent of any employer or prospective employer, who | ||||||
| 7 | discharges or in any other manner discriminates against any | ||||||
| 8 | employee or applicant for employment because that employee or | ||||||
| 9 | applicant for employment has made a complaint to his employer, | ||||||
| 10 | or to the Director of Labor or his authorized representative, | ||||||
| 11 | or because that employee or applicant for employment has | ||||||
| 12 | caused to be instituted or is about to cause to be instituted | ||||||
| 13 | any proceeding under or related to this Act, or because that | ||||||
| 14 | employee or applicant for employment has testified or is about | ||||||
| 15 | to testify in an investigation or proceeding under this Act, | ||||||
| 16 | is guilty of a petty offense. | ||||||
| 17 | (Source: P.A. 103-879, eff. 1-1-25.) | ||||||
| 18 | (820 ILCS 55/16 new) | ||||||
| 19 | Sec. 16. Action for civil penalties brought by an | ||||||
| 20 | interested party. | ||||||
| 21 | (a) As used in this Section, "interested party" means an | ||||||
| 22 | organization that monitors or is attentive to compliance with | ||||||
| 23 | public or worker safety and privacy laws, wage and hour | ||||||
| 24 | requirements, or other statutory requirements. | ||||||
| 25 | (b) Upon a reasonable belief that an employer or | ||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
| 1 | prospective employer covered by this Act is in violation of | ||||||
| 2 | any part of this Act, an interested party may initiate a civil | ||||||
| 3 | action in the county where the alleged offenses occurred or | ||||||
| 4 | where any party to the action resides, asserting that a | ||||||
| 5 | violation of the Act has occurred, pursuant to the following | ||||||
| 6 | sequence of events: | ||||||
| 7 | (1) The interested party submits to the Department of | ||||||
| 8 | Labor a complaint describing the violation and employer or | ||||||
| 9 | prospective employer alleged to have violated this Act. | ||||||
| 10 | (2) The Department sends notice of complaint to the | ||||||
| 11 | named parties alleged to have violated this Act and the | ||||||
| 12 | interested party. The named parties may either contest the | ||||||
| 13 | alleged violation or attempt to cure the alleged | ||||||
| 14 | violation. | ||||||
| 15 | (3) The named parties contest or cure the alleged | ||||||
| 16 | violation within 30 days after the receipt of the notice | ||||||
| 17 | of complaint or, if the named party does not respond | ||||||
| 18 | within 30 days, the Department issues a notice of right to | ||||||
| 19 | sue to the interested party as described in paragraph (4). | ||||||
| 20 | (4) The Department issues a notice of right to sue to | ||||||
| 21 | the interested party, if one or more of the following has | ||||||
| 22 | occurred: | ||||||
| 23 | (A) the named party has cured the alleged | ||||||
| 24 | violation to the satisfaction of the Director; | ||||||
| 25 | (B) the Director has determined that the | ||||||
| 26 | allegation is unjustified or that the Department does | ||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
| 1 | not have jurisdiction over the matter or the parties; | ||||||
| 2 | or | ||||||
| 3 | (C) the Director has determined that the | ||||||
| 4 | allegation is justified or has not made a | ||||||
| 5 | determination, and either has decided not to exercise | ||||||
| 6 | jurisdiction over the matter or has concluded | ||||||
| 7 | administrative enforcement of the matter. | ||||||
| 8 | (c) If, within 180 days after service of the notice of | ||||||
| 9 | complaint to the parties, the Department has not resolved the | ||||||
| 10 | contest and cure period with the mutual agreement of the | ||||||
| 11 | parties, extended the time for the named party to cure the | ||||||
| 12 | violation and resolve the complaint, or issued a right to sue | ||||||
| 13 | letter, the interested party may initiate a civil action for | ||||||
| 14 | penalties. The parties may extend the 180-day period by mutual | ||||||
| 15 | agreement. The limitations period for the interested party to | ||||||
| 16 | bring an action for the alleged violation of the Act shall be | ||||||
| 17 | tolled for the 180-day period and for the period of any | ||||||
| 18 | mutually agreed extensions. At the end of the 180-day period, | ||||||
| 19 | or any mutually agreed extensions, the Department shall issue | ||||||
| 20 | a right to sue letter to the interested party. | ||||||
| 21 | (d) Upon receipt of a right to sue letter from the | ||||||
| 22 | Department, an interested party may bring a civil action in | ||||||
| 23 | the county where the alleged offenses occurred or where any | ||||||
| 24 | party to the action resides, in the name of the State and for | ||||||
| 25 | the benefit of any impacted employees or prospective | ||||||
| 26 | employees. | ||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
| 1 | (1) No later than 30 days after filing an action, the | ||||||
| 2 | interested party shall serve upon the State through the | ||||||
| 3 | Attorney General a copy of the complaint and written | ||||||
| 4 | disclosure of substantially all material evidence and | ||||||
| 5 | information the interested party possesses. | ||||||
| 6 | (2) The State may elect to intervene and proceed with | ||||||
| 7 | the action no later than 60 days after it receives both the | ||||||
| 8 | complaint and the material evidence and information. The | ||||||
| 9 | State may, for good cause shown, move the court for an | ||||||
| 10 | extension of the time to intervene and proceed with the | ||||||
| 11 | action. | ||||||
| 12 | (3) Before the expiration of the 60-day period or any | ||||||
| 13 | extensions under subparagraph (2), the State shall: | ||||||
| 14 | (i) proceed with the action, in which case the | ||||||
| 15 | action shall be conducted by the State; or | ||||||
| 16 | (ii) notify the court that it declines to take the | ||||||
| 17 | action, in which case the interested party bringing | ||||||
| 18 | the action shall have the right to conduct the action. | ||||||
| 19 | (4) When the State conducts the action, the interested | ||||||
| 20 | party shall have the right to continue as a party to the | ||||||
| 21 | action subject to the following limitations: | ||||||
| 22 | (i) the State may dismiss the action | ||||||
| 23 | notwithstanding the objections of the interested party | ||||||
| 24 | initiating the action if the interested party has been | ||||||
| 25 | notified by the State of the filing of the motion and | ||||||
| 26 | the court has provided the interested party with an | ||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
| 1 | opportunity for a hearing on the motion; and | ||||||
| 2 | (ii) the State may settle the action with the | ||||||
| 3 | defendant notwithstanding the objections of the person | ||||||
| 4 | initiating the action if the court determines, after a | ||||||
| 5 | hearing, that the proposed settlement is fair, | ||||||
| 6 | adequate, and reasonable under all the circumstances. | ||||||
| 7 | (5) If an interested party brings an action under this | ||||||
| 8 | Section, no person other than the State may intervene or | ||||||
| 9 | bring a related action on behalf of the State based on the | ||||||
| 10 | facts underlying the pending action. | ||||||
| 11 | (6) An action brought in court by an interested party | ||||||
| 12 | under this Section may be dismissed if the court and the | ||||||
| 13 | Attorney General give written consent to the dismissal and | ||||||
| 14 | their reasons for consenting. | ||||||
| 15 | (e) Any claim or action filed by an interested party under | ||||||
| 16 | this Section shall be made no later 3 years after the alleged | ||||||
| 17 | conduct resulting in the complaint, plus any period for which | ||||||
| 18 | the limitations period has been tolled. | ||||||
| 19 | (f) In an action brought by an interested party under this | ||||||
| 20 | Section, an interested party may recover against the covered | ||||||
| 21 | entity any statutory penalties set forth in Section 17, | ||||||
| 22 | injunctive relief, and any other relief available to the | ||||||
| 23 | Department. An interested party who prevails in a civil action | ||||||
| 24 | shall receive 10% of any statutory penalties assessed, plus | ||||||
| 25 | any attorney's fees and costs. The remaining 90% of any | ||||||
| 26 | statutory penalties assessed shall be deposited into a special | ||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
| 1 | fund of the Department for enforcement of this Act. | ||||||
| 2 | (820 ILCS 55/17 new) | ||||||
| 3 | Sec. 17. Private right of action. | ||||||
| 4 | (a) A person aggrieved by a violation of this Act or any | ||||||
| 5 | rule adopted under this Act by an employer or prospective | ||||||
| 6 | employer may file suit in circuit court of Illinois, in the | ||||||
| 7 | county where the alleged offense occurred, where the employee | ||||||
| 8 | or prospective employee who is party to the action resides, or | ||||||
| 9 | where the employer or prospective employer which is party to | ||||||
| 10 | the action is located, without regard to exhaustion of any | ||||||
| 11 | alternative administrative remedies provided in this Act. | ||||||
| 12 | Actions may be brought by one or more affected employees or | ||||||
| 13 | prospective employees for and on behalf of themselves and | ||||||
| 14 | employees or prospective employees similarly situated. An | ||||||
| 15 | employee or prospective employee may recover for a violation | ||||||
| 16 | of the Act under this Section or under Section 15 or 16 at the | ||||||
| 17 | employee or prospective employee's option, but not under more | ||||||
| 18 | than one Section. An employee or prospective employee whose | ||||||
| 19 | rights have been violated under this Act by an employer or | ||||||
| 20 | prospective employer is entitled to collect under this | ||||||
| 21 | Section: | ||||||
| 22 | (1) in the case of a violation of this Act or any rule | ||||||
| 23 | adopted under this Act as it relates to the employee or | ||||||
| 24 | prospective employee, a civil penalty of not less than | ||||||
| 25 | $100 and not more than $1,000 for each violation found by a | ||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
| 1 | court; | ||||||
| 2 | (2) in the event a violation of this Act or any rule | ||||||
| 3 | adopted under this Act as it relates to denial or loss of | ||||||
| 4 | employment for the employee or prospective employee, all | ||||||
| 5 | relief necessary to make the employee whole, including, | ||||||
| 6 | but not limited to, the following: | ||||||
| 7 | (i) reinstatement with the same seniority status | ||||||
| 8 | that the employee would have had but for the | ||||||
| 9 | violation, as appropriate; | ||||||
| 10 | (ii) back pay, with interest, as appropriate; and | ||||||
| 11 | (iii) a civil penalty of $10,000; and | ||||||
| 12 | (3) compensation for any damages sustained as a result | ||||||
| 13 | of the violation, including litigation costs, expert | ||||||
| 14 | witness fees, and reasonable attorney's fees. | ||||||
| 15 | (b) The right of an aggrieved person to bring an action | ||||||
| 16 | under this Section terminates upon the passing of 3 years | ||||||
| 17 | after the date of the violation. This limitations period is | ||||||
| 18 | tolled if an employer or prospective employer has failed to | ||||||
| 19 | provide an employee or prospective employee information | ||||||
| 20 | required under this Act or has deterred an employee or | ||||||
| 21 | prospective employee from the exercise of rights under this | ||||||
| 22 | Act. | ||||||
| 23 | (820 ILCS 55/18 new) | ||||||
| 24 | Sec. 18. Penalties. | ||||||
| 25 | (a) An employer or prospective employer that violates any | ||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
| 1 | of the provisions of this Act or any rule adopted under this | ||||||
| 2 | Act shall be subject to a civil penalty of not less than $100 | ||||||
| 3 | and not more than $1,000 for each violation of his Act found by | ||||||
| 4 | the Department or determined by a court in a civil action | ||||||
| 5 | brought by the Department or by an interested party, as | ||||||
| 6 | defined in subsection (a) of Section 16, or determined by a | ||||||
| 7 | court in a civil action brought by the Attorney General | ||||||
| 8 | pursuant to its authority under Section 6.3 of the Attorney | ||||||
| 9 | General Act. An employer or prospective employer that commits | ||||||
| 10 | a second or subsequent violation of the same provisions or | ||||||
| 11 | this Act or any rule adopted under this Act within a 3-year | ||||||
| 12 | period shall be subject to a civil penalty of not less than | ||||||
| 13 | $1,000 and not more than $5,000 for each violation of this Act | ||||||
| 14 | found by the Department or determined by a court in a civil | ||||||
| 15 | action brought by the Department or by an interested party, as | ||||||
| 16 | defined in subsection (a) of Section 16, or determined by a | ||||||
| 17 | court in a civil action brought by the Attorney General | ||||||
| 18 | pursuant to its authority under Section 6.3 of the Attorney | ||||||
| 19 | General Act. For purposes of this subsection, each violation | ||||||
| 20 | of this Act or any rule adopted under this Act shall constitute | ||||||
| 21 | a separate and distinct violation. | ||||||
| 22 | (b) In determining the amount of a penalty, the Director | ||||||
| 23 | or circuit court shall consider (i) the appropriateness of the | ||||||
| 24 | penalty to the size of the business of the employer charged and | ||||||
| 25 | (ii) the gravity of the violation. | ||||||
| 26 | (c) The Department shall adopt rules for violation | ||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
| 1 | hearings and penalties for violations of this Act or the | ||||||
| 2 | Department's rules in conjunction with the penalties set forth | ||||||
| 3 | in this Act. Any administrative determination by the | ||||||
| 4 | Department as to the amount of each penalty shall be final | ||||||
| 5 | unless reviewed as provided in Section 17 of this Act. | ||||||
| 6 | (820 ILCS 55/19 new) | ||||||
| 7 | Sec. 19. Review under the Administrative Review Law. Any | ||||||
| 8 | party to a proceeding under this Act may apply for and obtain | ||||||
| 9 | judicial review of an order of the Department entered under | ||||||
| 10 | this Act in accordance with the provisions of the | ||||||
| 11 | Administrative Review Law, and the Department, in proceedings | ||||||
| 12 | under this Act, may obtain an order from the court for the | ||||||
| 13 | enforcement of its order. | ||||||
| 14 | (820 ILCS 55/20) | ||||||
| 15 | Sec. 20. Dismissal of complaint. The Director or any court | ||||||
| 16 | of competent jurisdiction shall summarily dismiss any | ||||||
| 17 | complaint alleging a violation of Section 5 of this Act which | ||||||
| 18 | states as the sole cause of the complaint that the employer | ||||||
| 19 | offered a health, disability, or life insurance policy that | ||||||
| 20 | makes a distinction between employees for the type of coverage | ||||||
| 21 | or the price of coverage based upon the employees' use of | ||||||
| 22 | lawful products. | ||||||
| 23 | (Source: P.A. 87-807.)". | ||||||
