SB1515 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB103 27647 SPS 54023 b

103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
SB1515

Introduced 2/7/2023, by Sen. Javier L. Cervantes

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

820 ILCS 55/12
820 ILCS 55/13 new

Amends the Right to Privacy in the Workplace Act. Provides that unless otherwise required by State or federal law, an employer shall not voluntarily enroll in the E-Verify program or a similar Electronic Employment Verification System. Provides that if an employer is required to participate in the E-Verify program or a similar Electronic Employment Verification System and receives notification from the Social Security Administration of a discrepancy between an employee's name or social security number and the Social Security Administration's records, an employer must provide the employee with specified information or grant the employee no less than 30 days of unpaid leave to correct any verification discrepancy. Provides for additional rights and protections granted to an employee following the notification from the Social Security Administration of a discrepancy. Makes corresponding changes.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning employment.

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

Section 5. The Right to Privacy in the Workplace Act is amended by changing Section 12 and adding Section 13 as follows:

(820 ILCS 55/12)

Sec. 12. Use of Employment Eligibility Verification Systems.

(a) Prior to enrolling choosing to voluntarily enroll in any Electronic Employment Verification System, including the E-Verify program and the Basic Pilot program, as authorized by 8 U.S.C. 1324a, Notes, Pilot Programs for Employment Eligibility Confirmation (enacted by P.L. 104-208, div. C, title IV, subtitle A), employers are urged to consult the Illinois Department of Labor's website for current information on the accuracy of E-Verify and to review and understand an employer's legal responsibilities relating to the use of the voluntary E-Verify program.

(a-1) The Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) shall post on its website information or links to information from the United States Government Accountability Office, Westat, or a similar reliable source independent of the Department of Homeland Security regarding: (1) the accuracy of the E-Verify databases; (2) the approximate financial burden and expenditure of time that use of E-Verify requires from employers; and (3) an overview of an employer's responsibilities under federal and state law relating to the use of E-Verify.

(b) Upon initial enrollment in an Employment Eligibility Verification System or within 30 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 96th General Assembly, an employer enrolled in E-Verify or any other Employment Eligibility Verification System must attest, under penalty of perjury, on a form prescribed by the IDOL available on the IDOL website:

(1) that the employer has received the Basic Pilot or E-Verify training materials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and that all employees who will administer the program have completed the Basic Pilot or E-Verify Computer Based Tutorial (CBT); and

(2) that the employer has posted the notice from DHS indicating that the employer is enrolled in the Basic Pilot or E-Verify program and the anti-discrimination notice issued by the Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices (OSC), Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice in a prominent place that is clearly visible to both prospective and current employees. The employer must maintain the signed original of the attestation form prescribed by the IDOL, as well as all CBT certificates of completion and make them available for inspection or copying by the IDOL at any reasonable time.

(c) It is a violation of this Act for an employer enrolled in an Employment Eligibility Verification System, including the E-Verify program and the Basic Pilot program:

(1) to fail to display the notices supplied by DHS and OSC in a prominent place that is clearly visible to both prospective and current employees;

(2) to allow any employee to use an Employment Eligibility Verification System prior to having completed CBT;

(3) to fail to take reasonable steps to prevent an employee from circumventing the requirement to complete the CBT by assuming another employee's E-Verify or Basic Pilot user identification or password;

(4) to use the Employment Eligibility Verification System to verify the employment eligibility of job applicants prior to hiring or to otherwise use the Employment Eligibility Verification System to screen individuals prior to hiring and prior to the completion of a Form I-9;

(5) to terminate an employee or take any other adverse employment action against an individual prior to receiving a final nonconfirmation notice from the Social Security Administration or the Department of Homeland Security;

(6) to fail to notify an individual, in writing, of the employer's receipt of a tentative nonconfirmation notice, of the individual's right to contest the tentative nonconfirmation notice, and of the contact information for the relevant government agency or agencies that the individual must contact to resolve the tentative nonconfirmation notice;

(7) to fail to safeguard the information contained in the Employment Eligibility Verification System, and the means of access to the system (such as passwords and other privacy protections). An employer shall ensure that the System is not used for any purpose other than employment verification of newly hired employees and shall ensure that the information contained in the System and the means of access to the System are not disseminated to any person other than employees who need such information and access to perform the employer's employment verification responsibilities.

(c-1) Any claim that an employer refused to hire, segregated, or acted with respect to recruitment, hiring, promotion, renewal or employment, selection for training or apprenticeship, discharge, discipline, tenure or terms, privileges, or conditions of employment without following the procedures of the Employment Eligibility Verification System, including the Basic Pilot and E-Verify programs, may be brought under paragraph (G)(2) of Section 2-102 of the Illinois Human Rights Act.

(c-2) It is a violation of this Section for an individual to falsely pose as an employer in order to enroll in an Employment Eligibility Verification System or for an employer to use an Employment Eligibility Verification System to access information regarding an individual who is not an employee of the employer.

(d) Preemption. Neither the State nor any of its political subdivisions, nor any unit of local government, including a home rule unit, may require any employer to use an Employment Eligibility Verification System, including under the following circumstances:

(1) as a condition of receiving a government contract;

(2) as a condition of receiving a business license; or

(3) as penalty for violating licensing or other similar laws.

This subsection (d) is a denial and limitation of home rule powers and functions under subsection (h) of Section 6 of Article VII of the Illinois Constitution.

(Source: P.A. 95-138, eff. 1-1-08; 96-623, eff. 1-1-10; 96-1000, eff. 7-2-10.)

(820 ILCS 55/13 new)

Sec. 13. Restrictions on the use of Employment Eligibility Verification Systems.

(a) Unless otherwise required by State or federal law, an employer shall not voluntarily enroll in the E-Verify program or a similar Electronic Employment Verification System. If an employer is required to participate in the E-Verify program or a similar Electronic Employment Verification System, the employer shall comply with subsections (b), (c), and (d) and Section 12.

(b) If an employer receives notification from the Social Security Administration of a discrepancy between an employee's name or social security number and the Social Security Administration's records, an employer must:

(1) provide the employee with:

(A) the specific document or documents that are deemed to be deficient and the reason why the document or documents are deemed to be deficient;

(B) instructions on how the employee can correct the deficient documents;

(C) an explanation of the employee's right to have representation present during the verification or re-verification process; and

(D) an explanation of any other rights that the employee may have in connection with the verification or re-verification process; or

(2) grant the employee no less than 30 days of unpaid leave to correct any verification discrepancy. If the unpaid leave period has expired and the employee can reasonably demonstrate an ability to remedy the discrepancy, the employer and employee may agree to extend the leave period for an additional 30 days. Only if no agreement is reached or the additional 30 day period has expired, can the employer terminate the employee's employment.

(c) When an employer receives notification from the Social Security Administration of a discrepancy, the following rights and protections are granted to the employee:

(1) to choose which work authorization documents to present to the employer during the verification or re-verification process; and

(2) to choose to be represented by counsel or represent his of herself in any meetings, discussions, or proceedings with the employer.

(d) If an employer receives notification from the Social Security Administration of a discrepancy and the discrepancy has been remedied, the employer must:

(1) return the employee to his or her former position, without loss of seniority, compensation rate or salary, or benefits; and

(2) not consider the discrepancy in future promotion decisions or continued employment considerations.