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[ Engrossed ] | [ House Amendment 001 ] |
92_HB0644 LRB9206584WHtm 1 AN ACT in relation to apprentice programs. 2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 3 represented in the General Assembly: 4 Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the 5 Apprentice Equity Act. 6 Section 5. Statement of policy. It is the policy of the 7 State of Illinois to ensure full and equitable employment 8 opportunities for minorities and females in the building 9 trades on all State construction contracts. Lack of 10 employment opportunities for minorities and females in the 11 building trades impedes economic development and contributes 12 to the social ills of Illinois residents. Federal and State 13 regulations prohibit discrimination because of race, color, 14 religion, sex, or national origin in employment and training 15 programs. The State is committed to ensuring that 16 minorities and females are provided apprenticeship and 17 self-improvement opportunities in the building trades on 18 State construction contracts to assist in their increased 19 employment in the building trades. 20 Section 10. Definitions. As used in this Act: 21 "Minority" has the definition contained in Section 10 of 22 the State Employment Records Act. 23 "Apprentice program" means an apprentice program in the 24 building trades that is authorized by the Bureau of 25 Apprenticeship Training of the U.S. Department of Labor. 26 "Apprentice" means a participant in an apprentice 27 program. 28 "Apprentice plan" means a written description of the 29 manner in which each minority or female apprentice shall be 30 used on a project. -2- LRB9206584WHtm 1 Section 15. Plan. 2 (a) To facilitate the provision of apprenticeship 3 opportunities for minorities and women in the building 4 trades, the Director of the Capital Development Board and the 5 Secretary of Transportation shall designate specific 6 contracts let by the respective agencies as subject to an 7 apprentice plan promoting employment opportunities for 8 minorities and women. 9 (b) In selecting contracts for participation in the 10 apprentice plan approved under this Act and in establishing 11 the applicable goals for each selected contract, the Director 12 of the Capital Development Board and the Secretary of 13 Transportation shall consider the following criteria: 14 (1) The nature of a project to ensure that it has 15 the potential for providing effective training 16 opportunities within the applicable apprentice program. 17 (2) The duration of the contract, work schedules 18 for project completion, and labor intensiveness of work 19 areas. 20 (3) The magnitude or dollar amount of the contract. 21 (4) The scope of work to be performed. 22 (5) The total normal building trade work force that 23 the average low bidder could be expected to use. 24 (6) The ratio of apprentices to journeymen that it 25 would be feasible for the average low bidder to use as 26 part of the contractor's work force during normal 27 operations, including the consideration of the relevant 28 provisions of any applicable collective bargaining 29 agreement. 30 (c) For each designated contract subject to the 31 apprentice plan approved under this Act, the Director of the 32 Capital Development Board or the Secretary of Transportation 33 shall establish goals for the number of minority and female 34 apprentices in the building trades to be assigned work on the -3- LRB9206584WHtm 1 contract, expressed in terms of hours of assigned work, 1,000 2 hours being equivalent to approximately 6 months of full-time 3 employment. The bidder shall commit to the employment of 4 minority and female apprentices on the contract equal to or 5 greater than each of the applicable goals. In employing 6 minority and female apprentices, the bidder shall give 7 preference to minority and female apprentices who are already 8 participants in an apprentice program. 9 (d) If the bidder finds it impossible to meet the 10 established goals after consulting with the appropriate labor 11 organization or joint apprenticeship training committee, the 12 bidder may seek a waiver from the Director of the Capital 13 Development Board or the Secretary of Transportation 14 accompanied by such documentation as requested by the 15 Director of the Capital Development Board or the Secretary of 16 Transportation, as applicable, that sufficient qualified 17 minorities and females to meet the goals were unavailable in 18 the county in which the work is to be performed, despite the 19 bidder's making all reasonable good faith efforts in hiring 20 minorities and females for the apprentice positions. The 21 Director of the Capital Development Board or the Secretary of 22 Transportation, as applicable, may grant the waiver request 23 upon the determination that sufficient qualified minorities 24 and females are not available for employment in the 25 applicable apprentice plans to meet the established goals 26 despite the good faith efforts of the bidder to recruit 27 minorities and females or that applicable collective 28 bargaining agreement provisions would prohibit the employment 29 of apprentices on the project to the extent required by the 30 established goals. 31 (e) Whenever a bidder's contractor subcontracts a 32 portion of the work involving any construction trade, the 33 subcontractor shall be subject, with subcontracts in excess 34 of $10,000, to the same goals for hiring minority and women -4- LRB9206584WHtm 1 apprentices applicable to the contractor, unless the Director 2 of the Capital Development Board or the Secretary of 3 Transportation, as applicable, grants the subcontractor a 4 partial or total waiver of the established goals. 5 (f) Within 10 days following the approval of the 6 contractor's required bond, the contractor shall submit to 7 the Director of the Capital Development Board or the 8 Secretary of Transportation, as applicable, a copy of the 9 plan for using minority and female apprentices on the 10 project, including the number of apprentices to be trained in 11 each selected classification and the corresponding apprentice 12 programs to be used. If a subcontract is let for a portion 13 of the work, the contractor may determine the extent to which 14 apprentices are to be trained by the subcontractor, but the 15 contractor shall retain responsibility for meeting the 16 applicable goals or shall submit with its bid a request for a 17 partial or total waiver of the established goals. 18 (g) A contractor's plan for using minority and female 19 apprentices shall be approved only if it meets the standards 20 set forth with regard to: 21 (1) The primary objectives of training and 22 upgrading minority and female workers within applicable 23 apprentice programs. 24 (2) Whether the classifications proposed are 25 appropriate for the specific project. The character, 26 duration, and nature of the project operations shall 27 readily support the proposed apprentice plan. 28 (h) If the contractor's submission is not acceptable, or 29 if, in the opinion of the Director of the Capital Development 30 Board of the Secretary of Transportation, as applicable, the 31 character, duration, or nature of the project operations 32 cannot support the proposed apprentice classification, the 33 apprentice plan shall not be approved. The contractor's 34 submission shall be returned for correction and resubmission. -5- LRB9206584WHtm 1 (i) The contractor shall submit to the Director of the 2 Capital Development Board or the Secretary of Transportation, 3 as applicable, a monthly report, as specified by the Director 4 or Secretary, detailing the use of apprentices during the 5 prior month. 6 (j) When the Director of the Capital Development Board 7 or the Secretary of Transportation, as applicable, has 8 determined that the contractor has failed to comply with any 9 of the apprentice plan requirements, the Director or 10 Secretary may notify the contractor of any non-compliance and 11 withhold up to 50% of the current progress or final payment 12 due the contractor until it is determined that the contractor 13 is in compliance or that, despite the contractor's making all 14 reasonable good faith efforts, it is unable to meet the 15 established goals. 16 (k) The contractor shall include all costs of compliance 17 for the apprentice plan in its bid. The contractor shall not 18 be entitled to any additional compensation from the State for 19 additional costs, delays, or expenses of any kind arising out 20 of or resulting from the implementation of this plan in the 21 contract. 22 (l) Nothing in this Act shall be construed or enforced 23 to permit discrimination against any individual on the basis 24 of race, color, sex, or national origin with respect to 25 employment or apprenticeship opportunities on State 26 contracts. 27 (m) The Director of the Capital Development Board and 28 the Secretary of Transportation shall submit, at least once 29 each calendar quarter, a report to the Governor and General 30 Assembly detailing their implementation of the apprentice 31 plan established by this Act, and the compliance of 32 contractors with this Act. 33 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect on -6- LRB9206584WHtm 1 January 1, 2002.