SB2582 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB093 15771 WGH 41381 b

93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2003 and 2004
SB2582

Introduced 2/4/2004, by Carol Ronen

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

820 ILCS 105/12

from Ch. 48, par. 1012

Amends the Minimum Wage Law. Makes a stylistic change in provisions concerning violations of the Act.

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 Minimum Wage Law is amended by changing Section 12 as follows:

(820 ILCS 105/12) (from Ch. 48, par. 1012)

Sec. 12. (a) If any employee is paid by his or her employer less than the wage to which he is entitled under the provisions of this Act, the employee may recover in a civil action the amount of any such underpayments together with costs and such reasonable attorney's fees as may be allowed by the Court, and any agreement between him and his employer to work for less than such wage is no defense to such action. At the request of the employee or on motion of the Director of Labor, the Department of Labor may make an assignment of such wage claim in trust for the assigning employee and may bring any legal action necessary to collect such claim, and the employer shall be required to pay the costs incurred in collecting such claim. Every such action shall be brought within 3 years from the date of the underpayment. Such employer shall be liable to the Department of Labor for 20% of the total employer's underpayment and shall be additionally liable to the employee for punitive damages in the amount of 2% of the amount of any such underpayments for each month following the date of payment during which such underpayments remain unpaid. The Director may promulgate rules for the collection of these penalties. The amount of a penalty may be determined, and the penalty may be assessed, through an administrative hearing. The penalty may be recovered in a civil action brought by the Director of Labor in any circuit court. The penalty shall be imposed in cases in which an employer's conduct is proven by a preponderance of the evidence to be willful. In any such action, the Director of Labor shall be represented by the Attorney General.

(b) The Director is authorized to supervise the payment of the unpaid minimum wages and the unpaid overtime compensation owing to any employee or employees under Sections 4 and 4a of this Act and may bring any legal action necessary to recover the amount of the unpaid minimum wages and unpaid overtime compensation and an equal additional amount as punitive damages, and the employer shall be required to pay the costs. The action shall be brought within 5 years from the date of the failure to pay the wages or compensation. Any sums thus recovered by the Director on behalf of an employee pursuant to this subsection shall be paid to the employee or employees affected. Any sums which, more than one year after being thus recovered, the Director is unable to pay to an employee shall be deposited into the General Revenue Fund.

(Source: P.A. 92-392, eff. 1-1-02.)