SB2312 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB098 09518 JLS 39661 b

98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2013 and 2014
SB2312

Introduced 2/15/2013, by Sen. Dan Duffy

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

820 ILCS 55/5

from Ch. 48, par. 2855

Amends the Right to Privacy in the Workplace Act to exempt from certain prohibitions against discrimination any for-profit employer that, as its sole business purpose or objective, provides medical or hospital treatment to patients who have a cancerous condition, and that refuses to hire or discharges any individual, or otherwise disadvantages any individual, with respect to compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment because the individual uses tobacco products, including cigarettes, pipes, cigars, chewing tobacco, snus, snuff, clove cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, and similar products. Effective immediately.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning health.

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 5 as follows:

(820 ILCS 55/5) (from Ch. 48, par. 2855)

Sec. 5. Discrimination for use of lawful products prohibited.

(a) Except as otherwise specifically provided by law and except as provided in subsections (b) and (c) of this Section, it shall be unlawful for an employer to refuse to hire or to discharge any individual, or otherwise disadvantage any individual, with respect to compensation, terms, conditions or privileges of employment because the individual uses lawful products off the premises of the employer during nonworking hours.

(b) This Section does not apply to any employer that is a non-profit organization that, as one of its primary purposes or objectives, discourages the use of one or more lawful products by the general public. This Section does not apply to any for-profit employer that, as its sole business purpose or objective, provides medical or hospital treatment to patients who have a cancerous condition, and that refuses to hire or discharges any individual, or otherwise disadvantages any individual, with respect to compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment because the individual uses tobacco products, including cigarettes, pipes, cigars, chewing tobacco, snus, snuff, clove cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, and similar products. This Section does not apply to the use of those lawful products which impairs an employee's ability to perform the employee's assigned duties.

(c) It is not a violation of this Section for an employer to offer, impose or have in effect a health, disability or life insurance policy that makes distinctions between employees for the type of coverage or the price of coverage based upon the employees' use of lawful products provided that:

(1) differential premium rates charged employees reflect a differential cost to the employer; and

(2) employers provide employees with a statement delineating the differential rates used by insurance carriers.

(Source: P.A. 87-807.)

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