HB5760eng 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB5760 Engrossed LRB095 14840 JAM 40780 b

AN ACT concerning civil air patrol leave from employment.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Civil Air Patrol Leave Act.

Section 5. Definitions. In this Act:

"Civil air patrol leave" means leave requested by an employee who is a member of the civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force commonly known as the Civil Air Patrol.

"Employee" means any person who may be permitted, required, or directed by an employer in consideration of direct or indirect gain or profit to engage in any employment. "Employee" does include an independent contractor. "Employee" includes an employee of a covered employer who has been employed by the same employer for at least 12 months and has been employed for at least 1,250 hours of service during the 12-month period immediately preceding the commencement of the leave.

"Employee benefits" means all benefits, other than salary and wages, provided or made available to employees by an employer and includes group life insurance, health insurance, disability insurance, and pensions, regardless of whether benefits are provided by a policy or practice of an employer.

"Employer" means:

(1) any person, partnership, corporation, association, or other business entity; and

(2) the State of Illinois, municipalities, and other units of local government.

Section 10. Civil air patrol leave requirement.

(a) Any employer, as defined in Section 5 of this Act, that employs between 15 and 50 employees shall provide up to 15 days of unpaid civil air patrol leave to an employee performing a civil air patrol mission, subject to the conditions set forth in this Section. Civil air patrol leave granted under this Act may consist of unpaid leave.

(b) An employer, as defined in Section 5 of this Act, that employs more than 50 employees shall provide up to 30 days of unpaid civil air patrol leave to an employee performing a civil air patrol mission, subject to the conditions set forth in this Section. Civil air patrol leave granted under this Act may consist of unpaid leave.

(c) The employee shall give at least 14 days' notice of the intended date upon which the civil air patrol leave will commence if leave will consist of 5 or more consecutive work days. When able, the employee shall consult with the employer to schedule the leave so as to not unduly disrupt the operations of the employer. Employees taking civil air patrol leave for less than 5 consecutive days shall give the employer advanced notice as is practical. The employer may require certification from the proper civil air patrol authority to verify the employee's eligibility for the civil air patrol leave requested.

(d) An employee taking leave as provided under this Act shall not be required to have exhausted all accrued vacation leave, personal leave, compensatory leave, sick leave, disability leave, and any other leave that may be granted to the employee.

Section 15. Employee benefits protection.

(a) Any employee who exercises the right to civil air patrol leave under this Act, upon expiration of the leave, shall be entitled to be restored by the employer to the position held by the employee when the leave commenced or to a position with equivalent seniority status, employee benefits, pay, and other terms and conditions of employment. This Section does not apply if the employer proves that the employee was not restored as provided in this Section because of conditions unrelated to the employee's exercise of rights under this Act.

(b) During any civil air patrol leave taken under this Act, the employer shall make it possible for employees to continue their benefits at the employee's expense. The employer and employee may negotiate for the employer to maintain benefits at the employer's expense for the duration of the leave.

Section 20. Effect on existing employee benefits.

(a) Taking civil air patrol leave under this Act shall not result in the loss of any employee benefit accrued before the date on which the leave commenced.

(b) Nothing in this Act shall be construed to affect an employer's obligation to comply with any collective bargaining agreement or employee benefit plan that provides greater leave rights to employees than the rights provided under this Act.

(c) The civil air patrol leave rights provided under this Act shall not be diminished by any collective bargaining agreement or employee benefit plan.

(d) Nothing in this Act shall be construed to affect or diminish the contract rights or seniority status of any other employee of any employer covered under this Act.

Section 25. Prohibited acts.

(a) An employer shall not interfere with, restrain, or deny the exercise or the attempt to exercise any right provided under this Act.

(b) An employer shall not discharge, fine, suspend, expel, discipline, or in any other manner discriminate against any employee who exercises any right provided under this Act.

(c) An employer shall not discharge, fine, suspend, expel, discipline, or in any other manner discriminate against any employee for opposing any practice made unlawful by this Act.

Section 30. Enforcement. A civil action may be brought in the circuit court having jurisdiction by an employee to enforce this Act. The circuit court may enjoin any act or practice that violates or may violate this Act and may order any other equitable relief that is necessary and appropriate to redress the violation or to enforce this Act.

Section 35. Home rule. This Act is a denial and limitation of home rule powers and functions in accordance with subsection (i) of Section 6 of Article VII of the Illinois Constitution. A home rule unit may not regulate its employees in a manner that is inconsistent with the provisions of this Act.