State of Illinois
90th General Assembly
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[ House Amendment 001 ]

90_HB1292

      New Act
          Creates  the  Illinois  Affirmative   Action   Apprentice
      Program  Act.   Establishes guidelines for programs under the
      Act regarding State construction contracts.
                                                     LRB9003079LDdv
                                               LRB9003079LDdv
 1        AN ACT  in  relation  to  affirmative  action  apprentice
 2    programs.
 3        Be  it  enacted  by  the People of the State of Illinois,
 4    represented in the General Assembly:
 5        Section 1.  Short title.  This Act may be  cited  as  the
 6    Illinois Affirmative Action Apprentice Program Act.
 7        Section 5.  Statement of policy.  Is is the policy of the
 8    State  of  Illinois  to  ensure full and equitable employment
 9    opportunities for minorities  and  females  in  the  building
10    trades   on   all  State  construction  contracts.   Lack  of
11    employment opportunities for minorities and  females  in  the
12    building  trades impedes economic development and contributes
13    to the social ills of Illinois residents.  Federal and  State
14    regulations  prohibit  discrimination because of race, color,
15    religion, sex, or national origin in employment and  training
16    programs.   Section  2-105  of  the Illinois Human Rights Act
17    provides  that  every  party  to  a  public  contract   shall
18    undertake affirmative action to ensure equality of employment
19    opportunity and eliminate the effects of past discrimination.
20    The  State  is  committed  to  ensuring  that  minorities and
21    females   are   provided   training   and    self-improvement
22    opportunities  in  the  building trades on State construction
23    contracts to assist in  their  increased  employment  in  the
24    building trades.
25        Section 10.  Program.
26        (a)  To    facilitate    the    provision   of   training
27    opportunities  for  minorities  and  women  in  the  building
28    trades, the Director of the  Capitol  Development  Board  and
29    Secretary   of   Transportation   shall   designate  specific
30    contracts let by the respective agencies  as  subject  to  an
                            -2-                LRB9003079LDdv
 1    affirmative action apprentice program.
 2        (b)  In  selecting  contracts  for  participation  in the
 3    affirmative action apprentice program and in establishing the
 4    applicable goals for each selected contract, the Director  of
 5    the Capital Development Board and Secretary of Transportation
 6    shall consider the following criteria:
 7             (1)  The  nature  of a project to ensure that it has
 8        the   potential   for   providing   effective    training
 9        opportunities.
10             (2)  Duration  of  the  contract, work schedules for
11        project  completion,  and  labor  intensiveness  of  work
12        areas.
13             (3)  Magnitude or dollar amount of the contract.
14             (4)  Scope of work to be performed.
15             (5)  Total normal building trade work force that the
16        average low bidder could be expected to use.
17             (6)  The ratio of apprentices to journeymen that  it
18        would  be feasible for the average lower bidder to use as
19        part  of  the  contractor's  work  force  during   normal
20        operations,  including  the consideration of the relevant
21        provisions  of  any  applicable   collective   bargaining
22        agreement.
23        (c)  For   each   designated   contract  subject  to  the
24    affirmative action apprentice program, the  Director  of  the
25    Capital Development Board and the Secretary of Transportation
26    shall  jointly establish goals for the number of minority and
27    female apprentices in the building trades to be assigned work
28    on the contract, expressed in  terms  of  hours  of  assigned
29    work,  1,000 hours being equivalent to approximately 6 months
30    of full-time employment.  The  bidder  shall  commit  to  the
31    employment of minority and female apprentices on the contract
32    equal to or greater than each of the applicable goals.
33        (d)  If  the  bidder  finds  it  impossible  to  meet the
34    established goals, the bidder may  seek  a  waiver  from  the
                            -3-                LRB9003079LDdv
 1    Director  or  the Secretary accompanied by such documentation
 2    as requested by the Director of the Capital Development Board
 3    or the  Secretary  of  Transportation,  as  applicable,  that
 4    sufficient qualified minorities and females to meet the goals
 5    were  unavailable  despite the bidder's making all reasonable
 6    good faith efforts in recruiting minorities and  females  for
 7    the   training   positions.   The  Director  of  the  Capital
 8    Development Board or  the  Secretary  of  Transportation,  as
 9    applicable,   may   grant   the   waiver   request  upon  the
10    determination  that  sufficient  qualified   minorities   and
11    females  are  not  available for employment in the applicable
12    training programs to meet the established goals  despite  the
13    good  faith  efforts  of the bidder to recruit minorities and
14    females or that applicable  collective  bargaining  agreement
15    provisions  would  prohibit  the employment of apprentices on
16    the project to the extent required by the established goals.
17        (e)  Whenever  a  bidder's  contractor   subcontracts   a
18    portion  of  the  work  involving any construction trade, the
19    subcontractor shall be subject, with subcontracts  in  excess
20    of  $10,000,  to the same affirmative action goals applicable
21    to  the  contractor,  unless  the  Director  of  the  Capital
22    Development Board or  the  Secretary  of  Transportation,  as
23    applicable,  grants  the  subcontractor  a  partial  or total
24    waiver of the established goals.
25        (f)  Within  10  days  following  the  approval  of   the
26    contractor's  required  Bond,  the contractor shall submit to
27    the  Director  of  the  Capital  Development  Board  or   the
28    Secretary   of  Transportation,  as  applicable,  a  proposed
29    training program specifying the number of apprentices  to  be
30    trained in each selected classification and the corresponding
31    training  programs to be used.  In the event a subcontract is
32    let for a portion of the work, the contractor  may  determine
33    the  extent  to  which  apprentices  are to be trained by the
34    subcontractor, but the contractor shall retain responsibility
                            -4-                LRB9003079LDdv
 1    for meeting the applicable goals.
 2        (g)  A contractor's training  program  will  be  approved
 3    only if it meets the standards set forth with regard to:
 4             (1)  The   primary   objectives   of   training  and
 5        upgrading minority and female workers.
 6             (2)  The  approval  of  training  programs  by   the
 7        Department of Commerce and Community Affairs, except with
 8        respect to any established training program for laborers.
 9             (3)  Whether   the   classifications   proposed  are
10        appropriate for the  specific  project.   The  character,
11        duration,  and  nature  of  the  project operations shall
12        readily support the proposed training program.
13        (h)  If the contractor's submission is not acceptable, or
14    if in the opinion of the Director of the Capital  Development
15    Board  or the Secretary of Transportation, as applicable, the
16    character, duration, or  nature  of  the  project  operations
17    cannot  support  the  proposed  training  classification, the
18    training program will not  be  approved.    The  contractor's
19    submission will be returned for correction and resubmission.
20        (i)  The  contractor  shall submit to the Director of the
21    Capital Development Board or the Secretary of Transportation,
22    as applicable, a monthly report, as specified by the Director
23    or Secretary, detailing the usage of apprentices  during  the
24    prior month.
25        (j)  When  the  Director of the Capital Development Board
26    or  the  Secretary  of  Transportation,  as  applicable,  has
27    determined that the contractor has failed to comply with  any
28    of  the  apprentice  program  requirements,  the  Director or
29    Secretary may notify the contractor of any non-compliance and
30    withhold up to 50% of the current progress or  final  payment
31    due the contractor until it is determined that the contractor
32    is  in compliance or that despite the contractor's making all
33    reasonable good faith efforts,  it  is  unable  to  meet  the
34    established goals.
                            -5-                LRB9003079LDdv
 1        (k)  The contractor shall include all costs of compliance
 2    for  the  apprentice program in its bid. The contractor shall
 3    not be entitled to any additional compensation from the State
 4    for additional costs, delays, or expenses of any kind arising
 5    out of or resulting from the implementation of  this  program
 6    in the contract.
 7        (l)  The  affirmative action apprentices program and this
 8    Act  shall  not  be   construed   or   enforced   to   permit
 9    discrimination  against  any individual on the basis of race,
10    color, sex, or national origin with respect to employment  or
11    training opportunities on State contracts.
12        (m)  The  Director  of  the Capital Development Board and
13    the Secretary of Transportation shall submit, at  least  once
14    each  calendar  quarter, a report to the Governor and General
15    Assembly detailing their implementation  of  the  affirmative
16    action apprentices program, and the compliance of contractors
17    with this Act.

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