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Information maintained by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Updating the database of the Illinois Compiled Statutes (ILCS) is an ongoing process. Recent laws may not yet be included in the ILCS database, but they are found on this site as Public Acts soon after they become law. For information concerning the relationship between statutes and Public Acts, refer to the Guide.

Because the statute database is maintained primarily for legislative drafting purposes, statutory changes are sometimes included in the statute database before they take effect. If the source note at the end of a Section of the statutes includes a Public Act that has not yet taken effect, the version of the law that is currently in effect may have already been removed from the database and you should refer to that Public Act to see the changes made to the current law.

775 ILCS 5/2-101

    (775 ILCS 5/2-101)
    (Text of Section from P.A. 102-1030)
    Sec. 2-101. Definitions. The following definitions are applicable strictly in the context of this Article.
    (A) Employee.
        (1) "Employee" includes:
            (a) Any individual performing services for
        
remuneration within this State for an employer;
            (b) An apprentice;
            (c) An applicant for any apprenticeship.
        For purposes of subsection (D) of Section 2-102 of
    
this Act, "employee" also includes an unpaid intern. An unpaid intern is a person who performs work for an employer under the following circumstances:
            (i) the employer is not committed to hiring the
        
person performing the work at the conclusion of the intern's tenure;
            (ii) the employer and the person performing the
        
work agree that the person is not entitled to wages for the work performed; and
            (iii) the work performed:
                (I) supplements training given in an
            
educational environment that may enhance the employability of the intern;
                (II) provides experience for the benefit of
            
the person performing the work;
                (III) does not displace regular employees;
                (IV) is performed under the close supervision
            
of existing staff; and
                (V) provides no immediate advantage to the
            
employer providing the training and may occasionally impede the operations of the employer.
        (2) "Employee" does not include:
            (a) (Blank);
            (b) Individuals employed by persons who are not
        
"employers" as defined by this Act;
            (c) Elected public officials or the members of
        
their immediate personal staffs;
            (d) Principal administrative officers of the
        
State or of any political subdivision, municipal corporation or other governmental unit or agency;
            (e) A person in a vocational rehabilitation
        
facility certified under federal law who has been designated an evaluee, trainee, or work activity client.
    (B) Employer.
        (1) "Employer" includes:
            (a) Any person employing one or more employees
        
within Illinois during 20 or more calendar weeks within the calendar year of or preceding the alleged violation;
            (b) Any person employing one or more employees
        
when a complainant alleges civil rights violation due to unlawful discrimination based upon his or her physical or mental disability unrelated to ability, pregnancy, or sexual harassment;
            (c) The State and any political subdivision,
        
municipal corporation or other governmental unit or agency, without regard to the number of employees;
            (d) Any party to a public contract without regard
        
to the number of employees;
            (e) A joint apprenticeship or training committee
        
without regard to the number of employees.
        (2) "Employer" does not include any place of worship,
    
religious corporation, association, educational institution, society, or non-profit nursing institution conducted by and for those who rely upon treatment by prayer through spiritual means in accordance with the tenets of a recognized church or religious denomination with respect to the employment of individuals of a particular religion to perform work connected with the carrying on by such place of worship, corporation, association, educational institution, society or non-profit nursing institution of its activities.
    (C) Employment Agency. "Employment Agency" includes both public and private employment agencies and any person, labor organization, or labor union having a hiring hall or hiring office regularly undertaking, with or without compensation, to procure opportunities to work, or to procure, recruit, refer or place employees.
    (D) Labor Organization. "Labor Organization" includes any organization, labor union, craft union, or any voluntary unincorporated association designed to further the cause of the rights of union labor which is constituted for the purpose, in whole or in part, of collective bargaining or of dealing with employers concerning grievances, terms or conditions of employment, or apprenticeships or applications for apprenticeships, or of other mutual aid or protection in connection with employment, including apprenticeships or applications for apprenticeships.
    (E) Sexual Harassment. "Sexual harassment" means any unwelcome sexual advances or requests for sexual favors or any conduct of a sexual nature when (1) submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual's employment, (2) submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for employment decisions affecting such individual, or (3) such conduct has the purpose or effect of substantially interfering with an individual's work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive working environment.
    For purposes of this definition, the phrase "working environment" is not limited to a physical location an employee is assigned to perform his or her duties.
    (E-1) Harassment. "Harassment" means any unwelcome conduct on the basis of an individual's actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, marital status, order of protection status, disability, military status, sexual orientation, pregnancy, unfavorable discharge from military service, citizenship status, or work authorization status that has the purpose or effect of substantially interfering with the individual's work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment. For purposes of this definition, the phrase "working environment" is not limited to a physical location an employee is assigned to perform his or her duties.
    (F) Religion. "Religion" with respect to employers includes all aspects of religious observance and practice, as well as belief, unless an employer demonstrates that he is unable to reasonably accommodate an employee's or prospective employee's religious observance or practice without undue hardship on the conduct of the employer's business.
    (G) Public Employer. "Public employer" means the State, an agency or department thereof, unit of local government, school district, instrumentality or political subdivision.
    (H) Public Employee. "Public employee" means an employee of the State, agency or department thereof, unit of local government, school district, instrumentality or political subdivision. "Public employee" does not include public officers or employees of the General Assembly or agencies thereof.
    (I) Public Officer. "Public officer" means a person who is elected to office pursuant to the Constitution or a statute or ordinance, or who is appointed to an office which is established, and the qualifications and duties of which are prescribed, by the Constitution or a statute or ordinance, to discharge a public duty for the State, agency or department thereof, unit of local government, school district, instrumentality or political subdivision.
    (J) Eligible Bidder. "Eligible bidder" means a person who, prior to contract award or prior to bid opening for State contracts for construction or construction-related services, has filed with the Department a properly completed, sworn and currently valid employer report form, pursuant to the Department's regulations. The provisions of this Article relating to eligible bidders apply only to bids on contracts with the State and its departments, agencies, boards, and commissions, and the provisions do not apply to bids on contracts with units of local government or school districts.
    (K) Citizenship Status. "Citizenship status" means the status of being:
        (1) a born U.S. citizen;
        (2) a naturalized U.S. citizen;
        (3) a U.S. national; or
        (4) a person born outside the United States and not a
    
U.S. citizen who is lawfully present and who is protected from discrimination under the provisions of Section 1324b of Title 8 of the United States Code, as now or hereafter amended.
    (L) Work Authorization Status. "Work authorization status" means the status of being a person born outside of the United States, and not a U.S. citizen, who is authorized by the federal government to work in the United States.
(Source: P.A. 101-221, eff. 1-1-20; 101-430, eff. 7-1-20; 102-233, eff. 8-2-21; 102-558, eff. 8-20-21; 102-1030, eff. 5-27-22.)
 
    (Text of Section from P.A. 103-797)
    Sec. 2-101. Definitions. The following definitions are applicable strictly in the context of this Article.
    (A) Employee.
        (1) "Employee" includes:
            (a) Any individual performing services for
        
remuneration within this State for an employer;
            (b) An apprentice;
            (c) An applicant for any apprenticeship.
        For purposes of subsection (D) of Section 2-102 of
    
this Act, "employee" also includes an unpaid intern. An unpaid intern is a person who performs work for an employer under the following circumstances:
            (i) the employer is not committed to hiring the
        
person performing the work at the conclusion of the intern's tenure;
            (ii) the employer and the person performing the
        
work agree that the person is not entitled to wages for the work performed; and
            (iii) the work performed:
                (I) supplements training given in an
            
educational environment that may enhance the employability of the intern;
                (II) provides experience for the benefit of
            
the person performing the work;
                (III) does not displace regular employees;
                (IV) is performed under the close supervision
            
of existing staff; and
                (V) provides no immediate advantage to the
            
employer providing the training and may occasionally impede the operations of the employer.
        (2) "Employee" does not include:
            (a) (Blank);
            (b) Individuals employed by persons who are not
        
"employers" as defined by this Act;
            (c) Elected public officials or the members of
        
their immediate personal staffs;
            (d) Principal administrative officers of the
        
State or of any political subdivision, municipal corporation or other governmental unit or agency;
            (e) A person in a vocational rehabilitation
        
facility certified under federal law who has been designated an evaluee, trainee, or work activity client.
    (B) Employer.
        (1) "Employer" includes:
            (a) Any person employing one or more employees
        
within Illinois during 20 or more calendar weeks within the calendar year of or preceding the alleged violation;
            (b) Any person employing one or more employees
        
when a complainant alleges civil rights violation due to unlawful discrimination based upon his or her physical or mental disability unrelated to ability, pregnancy, or sexual harassment;
            (c) The State and any political subdivision,
        
municipal corporation or other governmental unit or agency, without regard to the number of employees;
            (d) Any party to a public contract without regard
        
to the number of employees;
            (e) A joint apprenticeship or training committee
        
without regard to the number of employees.
        (2) "Employer" does not include any place of worship,
    
religious corporation, association, educational institution, society, or non-profit nursing institution conducted by and for those who rely upon treatment by prayer through spiritual means in accordance with the tenets of a recognized church or religious denomination with respect to the employment of individuals of a particular religion to perform work connected with the carrying on by such place of worship, corporation, association, educational institution, society or non-profit nursing institution of its activities.
    (C) Employment Agency. "Employment Agency" includes both public and private employment agencies and any person, labor organization, or labor union having a hiring hall or hiring office regularly undertaking, with or without compensation, to procure opportunities to work, or to procure, recruit, refer or place employees.
    (D) Labor Organization. "Labor Organization" includes any organization, labor union, craft union, or any voluntary unincorporated association designed to further the cause of the rights of union labor which is constituted for the purpose, in whole or in part, of collective bargaining or of dealing with employers concerning grievances, terms or conditions of employment, or apprenticeships or applications for apprenticeships, or of other mutual aid or protection in connection with employment, including apprenticeships or applications for apprenticeships.
    (E) Sexual Harassment. "Sexual harassment" means any unwelcome sexual advances or requests for sexual favors or any conduct of a sexual nature when (1) submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual's employment, (2) submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for employment decisions affecting such individual, or (3) such conduct has the purpose or effect of substantially interfering with an individual's work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive working environment.
    For purposes of this definition, the phrase "working environment" is not limited to a physical location an employee is assigned to perform his or her duties.
    (E-1) Harassment. "Harassment" means any unwelcome conduct on the basis of an individual's actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, marital status, order of protection status, disability, military status, sexual orientation, pregnancy, unfavorable discharge from military service, citizenship status, work authorization status, or family responsibilities that has the purpose or effect of substantially interfering with the individual's work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment. For purposes of this definition, the phrase "working environment" is not limited to a physical location an employee is assigned to perform his or her duties.
    (F) Religion. "Religion" with respect to employers includes all aspects of religious observance and practice, as well as belief, unless an employer demonstrates that he is unable to reasonably accommodate an employee's or prospective employee's religious observance or practice without undue hardship on the conduct of the employer's business.
    (G) Public Employer. "Public employer" means the State, an agency or department thereof, unit of local government, school district, instrumentality or political subdivision.
    (H) Public Employee. "Public employee" means an employee of the State, agency or department thereof, unit of local government, school district, instrumentality or political subdivision. "Public employee" does not include public officers or employees of the General Assembly or agencies thereof.
    (I) Public Officer. "Public officer" means a person who is elected to office pursuant to the Constitution or a statute or ordinance, or who is appointed to an office which is established, and the qualifications and duties of which are prescribed, by the Constitution or a statute or ordinance, to discharge a public duty for the State, agency or department thereof, unit of local government, school district, instrumentality or political subdivision.
    (J) Eligible Bidder. "Eligible bidder" means a person who, prior to contract award or prior to bid opening for State contracts for construction or construction-related services, has filed with the Department a properly completed, sworn and currently valid employer report form, pursuant to the Department's regulations. The provisions of this Article relating to eligible bidders apply only to bids on contracts with the State and its departments, agencies, boards, and commissions, and the provisions do not apply to bids on contracts with units of local government or school districts.
    (K) Citizenship Status. "Citizenship status" means the status of being:
        (1) a born U.S. citizen;
        (2) a naturalized U.S. citizen;
        (3) a U.S. national; or
        (4) a person born outside the United States and not a
    
U.S. citizen who is lawfully present and who is protected from discrimination under the provisions of Section 1324b of Title 8 of the United States Code, as now or hereafter amended.
    (L) Work Authorization Status. "Work authorization status" means the status of being a person born outside of the United States, and not a U.S. citizen, who is authorized by the federal government to work in the United States.
    (M) Family Responsibilities. "Family responsibilities" means an employee's actual or perceived provision of personal care to a family member. As used in this definition:
        (1) "Personal care" has the meaning given to that
    
term in the Employee Sick Leave Act.
        (2) "Family member" has the meaning given to the term
    
"covered family member" in the Employee Sick Leave Act.
(Source: P.A. 102-233, eff. 8-2-21; 102-558, eff. 8-20-21; 102-1030, eff. 5-27-22; 103-797, eff. 1-1-25.)
 
    (Text of Section from P.A. 103-804)
    Sec. 2-101. Definitions. The following definitions are applicable strictly in the context of this Article.
    (A) Employee.
        (1) "Employee" includes:
            (a) Any individual performing services for
        
remuneration within this State for an employer;
            (b) An apprentice;
            (c) An applicant for any apprenticeship.
        For purposes of subsection (D) of Section 2-102 of
    
this Act, "employee" also includes an unpaid intern. An unpaid intern is a person who performs work for an employer under the following circumstances:
            (i) the employer is not committed to hiring the
        
person performing the work at the conclusion of the intern's tenure;
            (ii) the employer and the person performing the
        
work agree that the person is not entitled to wages for the work performed; and
            (iii) the work performed:
                (I) supplements training given in an
            
educational environment that may enhance the employability of the intern;
                (II) provides experience for the benefit of
            
the person performing the work;
                (III) does not displace regular employees;
                (IV) is performed under the close supervision
            
of existing staff; and
                (V) provides no immediate advantage to the
            
employer providing the training and may occasionally impede the operations of the employer.
        (2) "Employee" does not include:
            (a) (Blank);
            (b) Individuals employed by persons who are not
        
"employers" as defined by this Act;
            (c) Elected public officials or the members of
        
their immediate personal staffs;
            (d) Principal administrative officers of the
        
State or of any political subdivision, municipal corporation or other governmental unit or agency;
            (e) A person in a vocational rehabilitation
        
facility certified under federal law who has been designated an evaluee, trainee, or work activity client.
    (B) Employer.
        (1) "Employer" includes:
            (a) Any person employing one or more employees
        
within Illinois during 20 or more calendar weeks within the calendar year of or preceding the alleged violation;
            (b) Any person employing one or more employees
        
when a complainant alleges civil rights violation due to unlawful discrimination based upon his or her physical or mental disability unrelated to ability, pregnancy, or sexual harassment;
            (c) The State and any political subdivision,
        
municipal corporation or other governmental unit or agency, without regard to the number of employees;
            (d) Any party to a public contract without regard
        
to the number of employees;
            (e) A joint apprenticeship or training committee
        
without regard to the number of employees.
        (2) "Employer" does not include any place of worship,
    
religious corporation, association, educational institution, society, or non-profit nursing institution conducted by and for those who rely upon treatment by prayer through spiritual means in accordance with the tenets of a recognized church or religious denomination with respect to the employment of individuals of a particular religion to perform work connected with the carrying on by such place of worship, corporation, association, educational institution, society or non-profit nursing institution of its activities.
    (C) Employment Agency. "Employment Agency" includes both public and private employment agencies and any person, labor organization, or labor union having a hiring hall or hiring office regularly undertaking, with or without compensation, to procure opportunities to work, or to procure, recruit, refer or place employees.
    (D) Labor Organization. "Labor Organization" includes any organization, labor union, craft union, or any voluntary unincorporated association designed to further the cause of the rights of union labor which is constituted for the purpose, in whole or in part, of collective bargaining or of dealing with employers concerning grievances, terms or conditions of employment, or apprenticeships or applications for apprenticeships, or of other mutual aid or protection in connection with employment, including apprenticeships or applications for apprenticeships.
    (E) Sexual Harassment. "Sexual harassment" means any unwelcome sexual advances or requests for sexual favors or any conduct of a sexual nature when (1) submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual's employment, (2) submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for employment decisions affecting such individual, or (3) such conduct has the purpose or effect of substantially interfering with an individual's work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive working environment.
    For purposes of this definition, the phrase "working environment" is not limited to a physical location an employee is assigned to perform his or her duties.
    (E-1) Harassment. "Harassment" means any unwelcome conduct on the basis of an individual's actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, marital status, order of protection status, disability, military status, sexual orientation, pregnancy, unfavorable discharge from military service, citizenship status, or work authorization status that has the purpose or effect of substantially interfering with the individual's work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment. For purposes of this definition, the phrase "working environment" is not limited to a physical location an employee is assigned to perform his or her duties.
    (F) Religion. "Religion" with respect to employers includes all aspects of religious observance and practice, as well as belief, unless an employer demonstrates that he is unable to reasonably accommodate an employee's or prospective employee's religious observance or practice without undue hardship on the conduct of the employer's business.
    (G) Public Employer. "Public employer" means the State, an agency or department thereof, unit of local government, school district, instrumentality or political subdivision.
    (H) Public Employee. "Public employee" means an employee of the State, agency or department thereof, unit of local government, school district, instrumentality or political subdivision. "Public employee" does not include public officers or employees of the General Assembly or agencies thereof.
    (I) Public Officer. "Public officer" means a person who is elected to office pursuant to the Constitution or a statute or ordinance, or who is appointed to an office which is established, and the qualifications and duties of which are prescribed, by the Constitution or a statute or ordinance, to discharge a public duty for the State, agency or department thereof, unit of local government, school district, instrumentality or political subdivision.
    (J) Eligible Bidder. "Eligible bidder" means a person who, prior to contract award or prior to bid opening for State contracts for construction or construction-related services, has filed with the Department a properly completed, sworn and currently valid employer report form, pursuant to the Department's regulations. The provisions of this Article relating to eligible bidders apply only to bids on contracts with the State and its departments, agencies, boards, and commissions, and the provisions do not apply to bids on contracts with units of local government or school districts.
    (K) Citizenship Status. "Citizenship status" means the status of being:
        (1) a born U.S. citizen;
        (2) a naturalized U.S. citizen;
        (3) a U.S. national; or
        (4) a person born outside the United States and not a
    
U.S. citizen who is lawfully present and who is protected from discrimination under the provisions of Section 1324b of Title 8 of the United States Code, as now or hereafter amended.
    (L) Work Authorization Status. "Work authorization status" means the status of being a person born outside of the United States, and not a U.S. citizen, who is authorized by the federal government to work in the United States.
    (M) Artificial Intelligence. "Artificial intelligence" means a machine-based system that, for explicit or implicit objectives, infers, from the input it receives, how to generate outputs such as predictions, content, recommendations, or decisions that can influence physical or virtual environments. "Artificial intelligence" includes generative artificial intelligence.
    (N) Generative Artificial Intelligence. "Generative artificial intelligence" means an automated computing system that, when prompted with human prompts, descriptions, or queries, can produce outputs that simulate human-produced content, including, but not limited to, the following: (1) textual outputs, such as short answers, essays, poetry, or longer compositions or answers; (2) image outputs, such as fine art, photographs, conceptual art, diagrams, and other images; (3) multimedia outputs, such as audio or video in the form of compositions, songs, or short-form or long-form audio or video; and (4) other content that would be otherwise produced by human means.
(Source: P.A. 102-233, eff. 8-2-21; 102-558, eff. 8-20-21; 102-1030, eff. 5-27-22; 103-804, eff. 1-1-26.)