HB2474 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB096 09137 RLC 19286 b

96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2009 and 2010
HB2474

Introduced 2/20/2009, by Rep. Constance A. Howard

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

New Act

Creates the Task Force on Inventorying Employment Restrictions Act. Creates the Task Force on Inventorying Employment Restrictions within the Department of Employment Security. Provides that the Task Force shall review the statutes, administrative rules, policies, and practices that restrict employment of persons with criminal history and report its findings and recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly by January 31, 2010. Effective immediately.

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning 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 Task Force on Inventorying Employment Restrictions Act.

Section 5. Purpose. The General Assembly finds and declares that:

(1) public safety dictates the adoption of employment restrictions to protect vulnerable populations, to prevent the risk of loss and liability, and to minimize the likelihood of harm to the public, fellow employees and customers;

(2) gainful employment after release from prison is one of the critical elements necessary to achieve successful reentry after prison and that employment has been shown to reduce recidivism;

(3) to make our communities safer, public safety also requires that employment opportunities not be so restricted that people with criminal records are unable to engage in gainful employment;

(4) many State laws and policies impose restrictions on the employment of persons with criminal records including State government jobs, jobs in State-licensed, regulated and funded entities, and jobs requiring State certification;

(5) no comprehensive review of these restrictions has been undertaken to evaluate whether the restrictions are substantially related to the safety, trust and responsibility required of the job or to the goal of furthering public safety;

(6) a less restrictive approach is preferred if it both furthers public safety and preserves employment opportunities; and

(7) the State's agencies, boards, and commissions can assume a leadership role in providing employment opportunities to people with criminal records by reviewing their employment policies and practices and identifying barriers to employment that can safely be removed to enable people with criminal records to demonstrate their rehabilitation.

Section 10. Definitions. As used in this Act:

"State agencies" shall mean the following State agencies, boards, and commissions: Department on Aging, Department of Agriculture, Office of Appellate Defender, Office of the State's Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor, Illinois Arts Council, Office of the Attorney General, Auditor General, Capital Development Board, Department of Central Management Services, Department of Children and Family Services, Civil Service Commission, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Illinois Commerce Commission, Illinois Community College Board, State of Illinois Comprehensive Health Insurance Plan, Office of the Comptroller, Department of Corrections, Criminal Justice Information Authority, Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities, Illinois Deaf and Hard of Hearing Commission, Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes, State Board of Education, Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board, State Board of Elections, Illinois Emergency Management Agency, Department of Employment Security, Environmental Protection Agency, Illinois State Fair, Illinois Finance Authority, Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, Office of the First Lady, Illinois Gaming Board, Office of the Governor, Guardianship and Advocacy Commission, Department of Healthcare and Family Services, Board of Higher Education, Historic Preservation Agency, Illinois Housing Development Authority, Illinois Human Rights Commission, Department of Human Rights, Department of Human Services, Illinois State Board of Investment, Department of Juvenile Justice, Office of the Lieutenant Governor, Department of Labor, Illinois Labor Relations Board, Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board, Illinois Liquor Control Commission, Illinois Lottery, Governor's Office of Management and Budget, Illinois Medical District Commission, Department of Military Affairs, Department of Natural Resources, Pollution Control Board, Prairie State 2000 Authority, Property Tax Appeal Board, Department of Public Health, Illinois Prisoner Review Board, Illinois Racing Board, Department of Revenue, Office of the Secretary of State, State Fire Marshal, Illinois State Police, State Police Merit Board, State Retirement Systems, Office of the State Treasurer, State Universities Civil Service System, State Universities Retirement System, Illinois Student Assistance Commission, Illinois Supreme Court, Illinois Teachers' Retirement System, Illinois State Toll Highway Authority, Department of Transportation, Department of Veterans Affairs', Governor's Office of Women's Affairs, and Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission.

Section 15. Task Force.

(a) The Task Force on Inventorying Employment Restrictions is hereby created in the Department of Employment Security. The purpose of the Task Force is to review the statutes, administrative rules, policies and practices that restrict employment of persons with a criminal history, as set out in subsection (c) of this Section, and to report to the Governor and the General Assembly those employment restrictions and their impact on employment opportunities for people with criminal records.

(b) Within 60 days after the effective date of this Act, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Minority Leader of the Senate, and the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives shall each appoint 2 members to the Task Force. In addition, the Director or Secretary of each of the following, or his or her designee, are members: the Department of Human Services, the Department of Corrections, the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the Department of Children and Family Services, the Department of Human Rights, the Illinois State Board of Education, the Illinois Board of Higher Education, and the Illinois Community College Board. Members shall not receive compensation. The Department of Employment Security shall provide staff and other assistance to the Task Force.

(c) On or before September 1, 2009, all State agencies shall produce a report for the Task Force that describes the employment restrictions that are based on criminal records for each occupation under the agency's jurisdiction and that of its boards, if any, including, but not limited to, employment within the agency; employment in facilities licensed, regulated, supervised, or funded by the agency; employment pursuant to contracts with the agency; and employment in occupations that the agency licenses or provides certifications to practice. For each occupation subject to a criminal records-based restriction, the agency shall set forth the following:

(1) the job title, occupation, job classification, or restricted place of employment, including the range of occupations affected in such places;

(2) the statute, regulation, policy, and procedure that authorizes the restriction of applicants for employment and licensure, current employees, and current licenses;

(3) the substance and terms of the restriction, and

(A) if the statute, regulation, policy or practice enumerates disqualifying offenses, a list of each disqualifying offense, the time limits for each offense, and the point in time when the time limit begins;

(B) if the statute, regulation, policy or practice does not enumerate disqualifying offenses and instead provides for agency discretion in determining disqualifying offenses, the criteria the agency has adopted to apply the disqualification to individual cases. Restrictions based on agency discretion include, but are not limited to, restrictions based on an offense "related to" the practice of a given profession; an offense or act of "moral turpitude"; and an offense evincing a lack of "good moral character".

(4) the procedures used by the agency to identify an individual's criminal history, including but not limited to disclosures on applications and background checks conducted by law enforcement or private entities;

(5) the procedures used by the agency to determine and review whether an individual's criminal history disqualifies that individual;

(6) the year the restriction was adopted, and its rationale;

(7) any exemption, waiver, or review mechanisms available to seek relief from the disqualification based on a showing of rehabilitation or otherwise, including the terms of the mechanism, the nature of the relief it affords, and whether an administrative and judicial appeal is authorized;

(8) any statute, rule, policy and practice that requires an individual convicted of a felony to have his civil rights restored to become qualified for the job; and 9 copies of the following documents:

(A) forms, applications, and instructions provided to applicants and those denied or terminated from jobs or licenses based on their criminal record;

(B) forms, rules, and procedures that the agency employs to provide notice of disqualification, to review applications subject to disqualification, and to provide for exemptions and appeals of disqualification.

(C) memos, guidance, instructions to staff, scoring criteria and other materials used by the agency to evaluate the criminal histories of applicants, licensees, and employees; and

(D) forms and notices used to explain waiver, exemption and appeals procedures for denial, suspensions and terminations of employment or licensure based on criminal history.

(d) Each executive agency shall participate in a review to determine the impact of the employment restrictions based on criminal records and the effectiveness of existing case-by-case review mechanisms. For each occupation under the agency's jurisdiction for which there are employment restrictions based on criminal records, each State agency must provide the Task Force with a report, on or before November 1, 2009, for the previous 2-year period, setting forth:

(1) the total number of people currently employed in the occupation whose employment or licensure required criminal history disclosure, background checks or restrictions;

(2) the number and percentage of individuals who underwent a criminal history background check;

(3) the number and percentage of individuals who were merely required to disclose their criminal history without a criminal history background check;

(4) the number and percentage of individuals who were found disqualified based on criminal history disclosure by the applicant;

(5) the number and percentage of individuals who were found disqualified based on a criminal history background check;

(6) the number and percentage of individuals who sought an exemption or waiver from the disqualification;

(7) the number and percentage of individuals who sought an exemption or waiver who were subsequently granted the exemption or waiver at the first level of agency review (if multiple levels of review are available);

(8) the number and percentage of individuals who sought an exemption or waiver who were subsequently granted the exemption or waiver at the next level of agency review (if multiple levels of review are available);

(9) the number and percentage of individuals who were denied an exemption or waiver at the final level of agency review, and then sought review through an administrative appeal;

(10) the number and percentage of individuals who were denied an exemption or waiver at the final level of agency review, and then sought review through an administrative appeal and were then found qualified after such a review;

(11) the number and percentage of individuals who were found disqualified where no waiver or exemption process is available;

(12) the number and percentage of individuals who were found disqualified where no waiver or exemption process is available and who sought administrative review and then were found qualified;

(13) if the agency maintains records of active licenses or certifications, the executive agency shall provide the total number of employees in occupations subject to criminal history restrictions.

(e) The Task Force shall report its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly by January 31, 2010.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.